Vocational Curriculum Competencies Offer Robotics Career Paths, Says Ministry

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has stated that the competency skills taught through the SMK curriculum provide opportunities for graduates to pursue careers in the field of robotics. Director of SMK at Kemendikdasmen, Arie Wibowo Khurniawan, said many competency skills in the SMK curriculum have become a foundation for career development in robotics, such as mechatronics engineering, industrial electronics engineering, industrial automation engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical power engineering, software engineering, and computer and network engineering (TKJ). “These are the competency skill assets that have been developed in SMKs, which, of course, in the future can no longer stand alone, because we are currently in an era of multi-skilling or multi-disciplines. Therefore, the assets already possessed by SMKs need to be strengthened to align with the development of industrial technology,” said Arie during a webinar entitled Creating the Future: Robotics as a Career Opportunity for SMK Students in Central Jakarta on Friday. Specifically in the field of robotics, he acknowledged that many SMKs still do not have laboratories or robotic equipment that meet industry standards. Additionally, the ministry assesses that there is still a shortage of teachers and educational staff with practical work experience in the robotics field. To accelerate the alignment between the SMK curriculum and industry standard needs, the ministry is continuously strengthening teaching and learning activities at the SMK level, both through improvements to facilities and infrastructure as well as the competencies of teachers and educational staff. Furthermore, the ministry continues to foster collaboration with various industry partners to provide learning sessions directly from experts and offer internship opportunities to SMK students and graduates in the robotics sector. “We fully realise that building a sustainable ecosystem for education, vocational training, and the business and industrial world is not merely a programme, but a joint movement. SMKs must be adaptive, industry must be collaborative, and the government must be supportive,” he said.