TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Vocational education: Matching needs for skills

Dyah Pritadrajati (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Tue, March 12, 2019 Published on Mar. 12, 2019 Published on 2019-03-12T10:13:50+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Students of a vocational school assemble parts of a computer during a competition in East Java. Students of a vocational school assemble parts of a computer during a competition in East Java. (Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta)

I

ndonesia’s unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent in 2018 from 11.2 percent in 2005. Nevertheless, challenges in the labor market persist. In fact, the percentage of youth (aged 15 to 24 years) who are neither in school, nor working, nor undertaking training is still very high at 22.5 percent, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from the previous year and higher than the average rate of 13.1 percent in Southeast Asia.

Also, the share of unemployed youth in total unemployment is substantial at 57.9 percent, which is considerably above the global average of 30 percent.

To reduce youth unemployment and to improve labor market outcomes, extending the access to vocational education is often an appealing option for policymakers in developing countries.

Vocational education is believed to produce “specific human capital”, which provides students with the opportunity to learn specific job-relevant skills that can make them more readily suitable for a given job.

Vocational education is also considered to be a safety net that reduces the risk of falling to the bottom of the labor queue, especially when students are unlikely to continue their education to the university level.

Likewise, the Education and Culture Ministry is enthusiastically embracing the idea of increasing the number of vocational high schools (SMK). It aims to increase the proportion of SMK from the current 42 percent to 70 percent by 2025.

Toward that goal, the construction of new general high schools (SMA) was halted, while new SMK were built and some already established SMA were converted into SMK.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Vocational education: Matching needs for skills

Rp 35,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 35,000

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.