Vocational Education in West Java Revitalised to Meet Industry Needs
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANDUNG – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK) Pratikno, Tourism Minister Widianti Putri Wardhana, and West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi have initiated the revitalisation of vocational education and organised vocational training in West Java.
Coordinating Minister PMK Pratikno stated that his office has integrated the central government, local governments, and Job Training Centres (BLK) with the industrial world as employers. The aim is for vocational education and training to produce graduates suited to labour market needs.
“Do not let our education teach skills that are no longer relevant. This revitalisation, besides preparing those suited to needs, can also create new job opportunities,” he explained at Bale Pakuan on Wednesday (22/4/2026).
Vocational education must prepare workers who are not merely job seekers but also capable of creating new opportunities, both in the technology sector and those based on culture and local potential.
West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi added that currently, educated unemployment is higher than among those with low education, which is quite ironic.
In fact, West Java has everything, but not many people are willing to pursue the available opportunities. For example, makers of bamboo mat weaving. Weavers are now rarely found, while demand is high. In addition, those engaged in the traditional food industry are also decreasing.
“The number of tea pickers and coffee pickers is also declining, even though tea and coffee have high value. So actually, the job market can be built in the space of innovation, including vocational training developed to suit local wisdom,” he said.
According to him, job opportunities are wide open, both domestically and abroad, as long as vocational education can meet field needs.
Tourism Minister Widianti Putri Wardhana stated that the Ministry of Tourism and the National Professional Certification Agency have compiled 438 vocational education schemes from 34 tourism fields.
The compilation of these vocational schemes serves as a strategic foundation to ensure that every profession in the tourism sector has clear and nationally recognised competency standards. “West Java is one of the provinces that will implement vocational education in the tourism field,” she emphasised.
Several regional heads and representatives of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) from districts and cities in West Java were present at the event.