National Internship Program 2026: Minimum Wage-Based Stipend Scheme and Registration Process
The government, through the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), has officially strengthened its commitment to reducing unemployment via the National Internship Program 2026. The initiative is designed as a strategic bridge for fresh graduates to gain real-world industrial experience with full financial support from the state.
Minister of Manpower Yassierli emphasised that the 2026 policy brings significant changes more favourable to participants. The primary focus is on standardising participant welfare and ensuring stable funding sources to guarantee program sustainability across all regions of Indonesia.
Unlike conventional internship schemes with inconsistent wage standards, the National Internship Program 2026 establishes several critical points applicants must understand:
The government has secured approval from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Finance to allocate a total quota of 150,000 participants throughout 2026. Implementation will be divided into multiple batches to ensure effective monitoring.
Although financial aspects (stipend) are fully covered by the government, partner companies bear significant responsibility for technical and educational aspects. The Ministry of Manpower urges companies not to treat participants merely as administrative support staff, but to ensure they receive substantive training and development.
The government is also exploring potential future financial contributions from companies (co-funding scheme) to enhance ownership over the quality of graduates produced.
Given the limited quota compared to annual graduate numbers, applicants are advised to prepare the following:
The programme focuses on enhancing employability. The decision to offer permanent employment rests entirely with the partner company based on the participant’s performance during the programme.
Registration is conducted centrally via the Ministry of Manpower’s official portal or government-designated digital platforms. Detailed registration link information will be released ahead of Batch I opening in July 2026.
Current policy prioritises fresh graduates from the past year to reduce open unemployment among new graduates.
No. The entire registration process for the government-managed National Internship Programme is free of charge.
The government typically integrates social security protections (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) for interns to cover workplace accident risks during the programme.
Available sectors are diverse, ranging from manufacturing, information technology, banking, to creative industries, depending on the list of partner companies collaborating with Kemnaker.