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Government earmarks Rp 38b for tech-savvy human resources
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The human resource development is part of the ministry's efforts to advance the digital ecosystem in Indonesia. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he Communications and Information Ministry has included an allocation of Rp 38 billion (US$2.5 million) in the 2019 budget to future-proof the young generation with technology skills.
Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara has repeatedly stressed the importance of developing human resources to face technological challenges.
"Our human resource development still falls behind the development of technology itself. As a result, many of our unicorn startups look to talent from abroad, mostly from India," Rudiantara said on the sidelines of a meeting at the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.
The term “unicorn” refers to a startup valued at more than US$1 billion, which in Indonesia includes ride-hailing app Go-Jek, online booking platform Traveloka and e-commerce platforms Tokopedia and Bukalapak.
The funds would be used to provide training scholarships for high school and vocational training graduates. The goal is to equip them with the skills to work as developers for technology companies.
"We are not in the process of creating engineers, but technicians who are ready to work directly in the digital world," Rudiantara said.
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The ministry has set itself a target getting 20,000 people trained for free. The full terms and conditions will be announced to the public on Sept. 21.
"The participants can be from anywhere, those from the eastern region are also invited, but – like it or not – there are many from Java," Rudiantara said.
"There are minimum standards for entering this class. The digital infrastructure is also the most abundant in Java," he added.
The ministry is working together with five Indonesian universities. Cooperation is also being established with startups, so that domestic talent can contribute to the country's digital ecosystem.
The human resource development is part of the ministry's efforts to advance the digital ecosystem in Indonesia.
Other government programs in the digital technology industry include "1000 Startup", "Nexticorn", "UMKM Go Online", "Go Online Farmers and Fishermen" as well as the establishment of digital certification and an e-commerce roadmap.
"We as the government no longer act as a regulator, but also as an accelerator and facilitator," he said. (liz/kes)
