Manpower Minister: 13 National Apprenticeship Hub participants recruited by company in Batam
Batam (ANTARA) — Indonesia’s Manpower Minister Yassierli said 13 of the 44 apprentices participating in the National Apprenticeship Hub Programme have been recruited as employees by a palm kernel oil processing company in Batam, Riau Islands.
“Thank God, there are 44 people doing apprenticeships here and 13 of them have even been accepted to work here. This is an excellent example,” the minister said during an inspection of the apprenticeship programme at PT Ecogreen Oleochemicals Batam (EOB) on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Manpower’s Apprenticeship Hub is an official programme designed to facilitate fresh graduates in gaining work experience at partner companies through six-month apprenticeships.
Yassierli said the apprentices who have been hired as employees no longer receive stipends from the government. They are also well provided for by the company, with accommodation and lunch included.
The minister also highlighted the Apprenticeship Hub’s professionally and transparently managed system.
“Apprenticeship participants choose their destination companies themselves. So this also becomes a challenge for companies — how can they be chosen by the apprentices? There is competition among participants, and also among companies,” he explained.
He said the Ministry of Manpower is currently focused on ensuring equitable distribution of the national apprenticeship programme so that it reaches every province.
“At present, there is still a significant concentration of apprenticeships on Java. We want this to be spread across every province. Data on how many participants have been absorbed is not yet available — it is still being processed. But today, Batam serves as one example,” he said.
He affirmed that the apprenticeship programme is no longer merely a formality but has become a genuine transition pathway into the workforce.
“I have checked and our young apprentices are also gaining extraordinary experience during their apprenticeships here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Apprenticeship Hub participant at PT Ecogreen Oleochemicals Batam, Siti Aminah, expressed her positive impressions of the programme.
“This programme is very useful for training both soft skills and hard skills for fresh graduates,” she said.
She added that the programme greatly assists participants who do not yet have work experience.
“This programme really helps those of us who have no prior experience in entering a company, so that we will be better prepared when seeking our next job,” she said.