National Internship Programme No Longer Centred on Java, Opportunities Open Across Indonesia

The government is expanding the scope of the National Internship Programme by opening opportunities for participants from various regions across Indonesia. This move is intended to ensure that access to gaining work experience is no longer concentrated on the island of Java, while simultaneously increasing opportunities for new graduates to enter the workforce. The programme’s expansion is one of the government’s strategies to suppress the unemployment rate and strengthen the connection between the education sector and industry needs. Equitable access is also expected to provide equal opportunities for graduates from all regions to develop their competencies. Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor stated that the National Internship Programme is one of the instruments prepared by the government to reduce the number of unemployed people in Indonesia. Although it cannot yet solve all employment issues, the programme is expected to have a positive impact on labour absorption. “It is indeed not enough to overcome the unemployment figure of nearly 7.24 million people. But we hope this can at least minimise that number,” Afriansyah said during the FMB9 Dialogue. As a form of programme strengthening, the government is increasing the participant quota from 100,000 people in the first batch to 150,000 participants in the second batch of 2026. The quota increase is accompanied by an expansion of the implementation reach so that it is no longer focused solely on Java. Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the number of unemployed people in Indonesia as of February 2026 reached approximately 7.24 million people. Through the National Internship Programme, the government hopes that new graduates can gain work experience as a foundation before entering the industrial world. Afriansyah explained that participants not only gain direct work experience in companies. They also receive an allowance equivalent to the regional minimum wage, protection from the Employment Social Security Administering Body (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan), and competency certification from the National Professional Certification Board (BNSP). According to him, this experience becomes an added value when participants apply for jobs after completing the internship programme. The government also hopes that participants will understand corporate work culture so they are better prepared to enter the workforce. “The President hopes that through the National Internship Programme, these new graduates will have experience, competence, and work memory. When they enter the workforce, they are ready because they have directly experienced the work culture in a company,” Afriansyah said.