President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo hopes human resources development can serve as an opportunity for Indonesia to catch up with economic growth in other countries.

The President conveyed his wish during the virtual inauguration of Diponegoro University’s vocational school building in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday. The building’s construction started in March last year as part of a collaboration between Sinar Mas Group and PT Astra International.

During the ceremony, the President expressed his appreciation for the university’s intention to develop skills and reiterated his Cabinet’s priority to develop human resources.

“Good infrastructure, strong human resources and [this building] will serve as our capital to escape the middle-income trap,” Jokowi said.

He added that he believed strong human resources could help develop Indonesia. Moreover, Jokowi said the facility could be a gateway to internship opportunities and provide a space to learn about various sectors.

“I hope students can get one year internships rather than only one or two weeks,” said Jokowi.

The President said students should be given access to learn wherever they wanted so they could develop the necessary skills once they entered the job market.

He went on to say that Indonesia should increase its human resource capacity so people could be more productive and competitive.

“Vocational education has an important role in developing our human resources.”