Vocational schools seek support

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Walking through an entrance way marked with the sign Hostel Pradana, one finds a cafe, a travel agency, 29 hotel rooms and a tennis court. The monochromatic green compound on the busy street in Ragunan, South Jakarta, looks more like a resort than a school.

"We have to provide these facilities to train our students," the school's vice principal Sumarochayah told The Jakarta Post. Thanks to the facilities, vocational school SMK 57, helps 75 percent of its graduates find jobs in hotels, airlines and travel agents annually.

The school, which sends up to 20 third-year students for training in hotels in Dubai and Saudi Arabia every year, needs, however, to build closer ties with related industries at home.

Currently, the school has an agreement with at least 40 three- to five-star hotels and more than 10 airlines and travel agents.

"We rely on the 'inside connections' of members of the school committee to find hotel partners," Sumarochayah said, adding that such an approach had not been beneficial as the relation only lasted so long as committee members were active.

Vocational schools, aiming to supply a ready-to-go workforce, have a mutual relationship with related industries. The schools provide the education while the industries support them with training facilities.

However, some schools have complained about industries' reluctance to help enhance the quality of vocational education.

"In Germany, even the smallest scale industry is required to recruit at least 20 percent of their employees from vocational schools," Sumarochayah said.

Such a regulation has taken effect in Indonesia, but is not adequately enforced due to lack of supervision.

Jakarta Vocational Education Agency head Suharyanto said 50 percent of partnering industries were aware of their importance in improving the quality of vocational education.

Industries should be involved in the school from the beginning, from approving the curriculum according to their requirements, providing equipment for training and testing the competency of trained students, Suharyanto said.

Another problem preventing vocational schools from moving forward is the public image that the schools are just a second choice, although in fact their graduates may compete with university graduates.

"Around 98 percent of our graduates work in industries, while other (graduates) have a hard time finding jobs," said Kisroi, the principal of SMK 26, which provides training for jobs in the manufacturing sector.

Kisroi said the school -- the students of which recently won a gold medal in a national vocational competition -- had long cooperated with related industries, helping its graduates find jobs with decent salaries.

Central Statistics Agency data shows the range of remuneration earned by vocational school graduates ranges from Rp 600,000 (US$63.15) to over Rp 1.5 million per month. The majority of university graduates receive a starting salary of Rp 1.5 million a month.

"Some of our students who attend a three-year training program in Japan receive up to 60,000 Yen ($550) per month," Kisroi said, adding that the school had sent at least 100 students to the country so far.

Despite the career opportunities on offer, many people remain reluctant to attend vocational schools. Most students who chose vocational schools are not academic or lack the financial resources to choose as they please.

"Eighty percent of our students come from the middle to lower income bracket," Sumarochayah said.

In countries like Germany and Australia, vocational schools have sprung up everywhere, offering industries a well-trained workforce.

There has been an increase in the number of vocational school students in Indonesia, but education experts do not consider all students leave with a quality education.

"We hope that the government as well as industries pay more attention to vocational education," sub-agency head Suharyanto said. "That way we will see SMKs become more than Sekolah Mencari Kerja (schools to find jobs)." (003)