Ministry of Manpower Appreciates Riau Islands Police's Role in Enhancing Worker Competence
Batam (ANTARA) - The Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Manpower has appreciated the initiative of the Riau Islands Regional Police (Polda Kepri) in organising vocational training for barista skills and electrical installation to enhance worker competencies in Batam city.
Director of Competency Standardisation at the Directorate General of Vocational Training Development and Productivity of the Ministry of Manpower, Abdullah Qiqi Asmara, stated that vocational training is a strategic step in curbing unemployment rates in Indonesia.
“Our appreciation to Polda Kepri for initiating this activity. Collaborations like this are very important in preparing competent manpower,” he said in Batam on Friday.
He explained that Indonesia currently has around 158 million people of productive age, with unemployment figures reaching 7.4 million people. Additionally, there are about 10 million young people assessed as not yet optimal in work productivity.
According to Abdullah, competency certification is a key factor for workers to be directly absorbed into various industrial sectors that require certain skill standards.
“With certification, an individual has recognition of competencies needed by industry. This year, the Ministry of Manpower targets vocational training for 70,000 participants through state budget financing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Polda Kepri, Anom Wibowo, conveyed that this training is expected to provide tangible benefits to the community, particularly in enhancing work skills.
“We are partnering with the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP3MI) in implementing this training. This is the first time Polda Kepri has initiated such training activities. This year there are 32 participants, and in the future, it is hoped to continue,” he said.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency in August 2025, the open unemployment rate (TPT) in the Riau Islands reached 6.45 percent or around 72,560 people.
Anom stated that the high influx of workers into the region, along with the development of industries close to Singapore and Malaysia, demands competency improvements through certification.
“The types of training this year are tailored to industry needs, such as barista and electrical installation, but in the future, there may be developments into other fields like welding,” said the Deputy Chief of Riau Islands Police.
Director of the Bhakti Tidar Nusantara Training and Development Institute (LPK), Dwipung Wirajaya Saputra, explained that the training provided covers barista for 18 days and electrical installation for 26 days.
“There are 32 participants, with 16 each for barista and electrical installation. They come from Riau Islands, including migrant workers, PMI families, BP3MI wards, and from Polda Kepri’s Community Guidance and Security Unit (Bhabinkamtibmas),” he said.
He added that at the end of the training, competency tests will be conducted, resulting in certificates from the Work Training Institute (LPK), the Batam Ministry of Manpower Work Training Centre, and the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).