Yogyakarta Governor Urges Job Training Based on Village Potential

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) – Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X has urged the development of job training programmes tailored to the economic potential of each kelurahan to improve people’s skills, particularly those of young people in the region.

“Job training based on a kelurahan’s potential can equip residents with the skills to enter the workforce or develop local businesses, allowing economic opportunities to grow more widely at kelurahan level,” the governor said after the third-quarter 2026 Regional Control Coordination Meeting in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

He said employment development should focus not only on creating jobs, but also on improving the quality and productivity of work, strengthening formal employment and increasing workers’ welfare.

However, four business sectors that employ 66.51 per cent of workers — trade, agriculture, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services — still have productivity levels below the regional average.

One way to address this challenge, he said, was to strengthen people’s competencies through training that meets the needs and potential of each area. Employment and business opportunities in kelurahan should also be diversified, rather than limited to occupations already familiar to residents.

“I hope young people in every village do not assume that they can only become farmers or fishers. If an area has strong tourism potential, it needs people who can speak foreign languages, and attractions that are well maintained, among other things,” he said.

Sri Sultan stressed the importance of providing training opportunities for vocational secondary-school graduates who cannot continue to higher education, as well as young people involved in Karang Taruna, community youth organisations.

Through such training, he said, they should gain not only the skills needed to enter the workforce but also the ability to start businesses and drive economic activity in their kelurahan.

“With the training available in Bantul Regency, they can develop the ability to become employees, or we can support them to become business pioneers in their kelurahan,” Sri Sultan said.

Sri Sultan said he hoped to work with the Ministry of Manpower to map out training programmes suited to community needs and local potential, so that employment and business development opportunities in kelurahan could be planned more effectively.