VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Ministry of Manpower is targeting to build 2 thousand Community Vocational Training Centers (BLKs) this year. This figure is set far greater than the number opened from 2017 to 2019 which was 1,113 units. Through an official statement in Jakarta on Friday (1/3), Minister of Manpower, Ida Fauziyah said that the community vocational training centers development program is a breakthrough to improve the competence of local human resources. The training centers are built in the area of religious education institutions such as Islamic boarding schools, seminaries, Dhammasekha, and Pasraman to provide hard skills and soft skills and character education that has been given to formal educational institutions. She also stated that through this program, students from religious education institutions and the surrounding community could have access to work skills training in accordance with the needs of the local labor market. 

The vocational determination in the training centers is based on the request of the beneficiary, in this case religious education institutions in each location so that they are more targeted. Because they are the party who knows the most potential in their respective area. In addition to meeting the needs of the local industry, through the training centers, the government also seeks to produce many entrepreneurs who can create employment for many people. Minister Ida added that each educational institution beneficiary would receive support in the form of financing the construction of a unit of workshop building, vocational training equipment for one vocational, operational cost assistance and financial assistance to implement two training program packages.

Previously, President Joko Widodo had inaugurated the Community Work Training Centers throughout Indonesia, at the Alfadlu 2 Islamic Boarding School, Kendal Regency, Central Java. According to the president, the competition for human resources between countries will focus on skills and vocational workforce. Therefore, vocational education through Community Work Training Centers is expected to increase quality vocational workforce; one of which is through religious education institutions, such as Pesantren, Islamic boarding school.