Hanif Dhakiri (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

The government plans to implement a preemployment card program to cope with the skills mismatch, which has become a real problem in the country’s labor force as the educational system has not yet been able to produce the skills needed by industry.

First mentioned by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during an election campaign in February of last year, the program has its pros and cons. However, due to a lack of details, the preemployment card has often been wrongly interpreted. Some people regard it as being ineffective while others see it as an important program to solve the unemployment problem in the country.

Although there are still uncertainties here and there, the program will be implemented beginning next year. The government has allocated Rp 10.3 trillion (US$725.86 million) in the state budget for the program, which could benefit as many as 2 million people

The Jakarta Post’s Prima Wirayani and Riza Roidila Mufti sat together with Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri to talk about this issue. Besides clarifying the program, the minister explained its purposes. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Question: Can you explain what the preemployment card program is all about?

Answer: The preemployment card program is a training program specially arranged for unemployed people, either those who have lost their jobs or fresh graduates. They will be given access to vocational training provided either by government-owned vocational training centers or those run by the private sector. There will be three types of vocational programs, namely skilling, upskilling and reskilling. The preemployment card given to the recipients will enable to them to join a free training program and [provide] allowances during and after the program.

How can people take part in the program?

For those who have just graduated from schools and do not have certain skills, they can join the skilling program to get new relevant skills. During two months of training, they will get an allowance for transportation and pocket money. After completing the training, they will be given three months to find a job. They will continue to receive the allowance during the three-month period.

For those who have just been laid-off, they can join the upskilling or reskilling programs for two months. They will be given incentives or allowances during the two-month training. After finishing the training, they will be given three months to find a job and will continue to receive an allowance during the period. We have not yet decided the amount of the monthly allowance for the recipients of the program.

So, this preemployment card program is not intended to pay the salaries of unemployed people, as many people have said.

What are the requirements to take part in the program?

The preemployment program is wide open to everyone. However, applicants must be of Indonesian nationality, aged 18 or above, and not registered as students in formal education. Basically, all the people who meet the requirements can apply.

How should they apply for the program?

Based on an interministerial coordinating meeting, we will open online registration for the applicants. We will also use an administrative selection process to decide who will be accepted to take part in the program. However, if the number of applicants exceeds the available seats, I personally suggest selecting those who are truly interested in taking part in the program.

Can preemployment card receivers decide which training program they want to join?

Yes, there will be a number of training options they can choose. They can also choose the training centers they want to join. We have many vocational training centers. The government has 305 skills training centers (BLKs), 200 of which are well-accredited, offering various vocational training programs from animation to fashion design. Meanwhile, there are around 8,000 total private job training centers run by the private sector. Of the total, 5,000 are formally registered and the other 2,100 have met all the requirements to provide professional training. After finishing the vocational training program, participants will also be linked to job recruitment centers.

Within the next five years, how will this program evolve?

We want the preemployment card given to the recipients to function as a skills identity card. So, everything related to skills or work experience could be recorded on the card. We can look at work experience through the card, skills the person has and the [types of] training they have gone through.

Are there any plans to carry out this program with a second batch of people after it ends?

We don’t know yet. We will evaluate the results of the program first to see the absorption rate of the participants in the workforce. Of course, we want all 2 million recipients of the program to get jobs. However, since it is still in its initial stage, if 60 percent of total recipients can get a job, it will be a good outcome.

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