Labour Minister: Students must master technical competence and human skills

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Manpower, Yassierli, emphasised that vocational education students need to master not only technical competencies but also human skills, such as communication, teamwork, negotiation, and adaptability, as preparation for entering the professional world.

“What we want is not someone who, for example, only masters coding. Morning, afternoon, evening, night, coding. But they cannot socialise within their work team or interact with others. Therefore, these human skills are vital,” the Minister stated in a briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.

Furthermore, Yassierli stated that human skills themselves need to be trained from the student stage through learning processes and experiences that allow them to interact with others.

Presentation skills, communication, teamwork, and negotiation, he noted, are components that must be continuously practised before students enter the workforce.

In addition to preparing work competencies, Yassierli reminded students to build concern for societal issues.

According to him, higher education also plays a role in shaping students who are capable of conveying ideas and aspirations responsibly.

“Students must serve as the nation’s moral vanguard. Please speak up. Indonesia needs students who care,” he said.

Minister Yassierli also stated that the courage of students to express their views is part of the dynamics of social life. However, criticism and aspirations must be delivered with a good, polite, and responsible attitude.

Therefore, Yassierli encouraged students to utilise their university years to build a complete foundation, ranging from technical competence and human skills to industrial experience, organisational abilities, and social concern.

“Hopefully, in three or four years, when students enter the industry, graduates will not only be ready to work but also capable of developing the industry. And hopefully, from here, the leaders of the future will also emerge,” he said.

On the other hand, Yassierly expressed his appreciation for the learning approach at the Mitra Industri Polytechnic in Bekasi, which provides opportunities for students to gain experience through projects and industry networking.

In his view, such experiences can serve as a space for students to test and develop both technical competencies and human skills simultaneously.