Vocational education not in line industry needs

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Experts and vocational education practitioners attend a discussion titled "Seeking Strategic Vocational Training in Line with Indonesian Economic Development", held by the Kompas daily in Jakarta on Thursday (8/11/2018). The discussion was held in cooperation with the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Vocational education in Indonesia tends to take its own path without aligning itself to industrial needs. The curriculum at vocational high schools (SMKs) is mostly still focused on saturated skills such as office administration, while other skills -- which are in high demand such as construction, processing industries and electricity -- are not major priorities.

According to a study conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the skills obtained by SMK graduates would no longer be useful in seven to eight years.