VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia and Singapore agreed to increase investment cooperation and vocational education, especially for the industrial sector. The condition will strengthen partnership between the two countries, in order to complete enormous economic potential. This was stated by Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto in Jakarta, Sunday (18/2) in the Ministry’s release. The statement responded the meeting of Minister Airlangga Hartarto with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, recently at the Ministry of Industry, Jakarta. Minister Airlangga moreover stated, that Singapore is one of the neighboring countries that has a strategic role for the interests of Indonesia or the region. In the field of investment, the Ministry has encouraged Singapore to continue the development of industrial parks in other regions of Indonesia, which has integrated concept like Kendal Industrial Area in Central Java. Indonesia offers Tanah Kuning or Yellow Land in North Kalimantan, Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra, and Bitung in North Sulawesi. The Kendal Industrial Area, which was officially opened by Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on November 14, 2016, is a joint project between Indonesian and Singaporean industrialists. The investment value in the 2,700 hectares area reaches 360 million US dollars. Minister Airlangga said, until January 2018, Kendal Industrial Area has attracted 39 investors from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Japan by absorbing nearly 2,000 workers. The companies run their businesses in furniture, food, food packaging, steel, label printing and dolls industries. In addition to increase investment, Indonesia and Singapore also established a synergy in the development of human resources competency through vocational education, such as the development of Polytechnic of Furniture and Wood Processing Industry in Kendal Industrial Estate. The industry is planned to open the acceptance of 96 new students for three study programs this year. The commitment of cooperation in the field of vocational education is also implemented through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Indonesia Minister of Industry with the Minister of Education of Singapore, Technical Arrangement between the Secretary General of the Ministry of Industry with the Director of Singapore Institute of Technical Education, and Collaborative Agreement between the Head of Industrial Education and Training Center with ITE Education Services of Singapore. Furthermore, Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto said that 25 headmasters and teachers from Vocational High School from Indonesia will attend leadership training in Singapore ITE Campus. This Leadership Training Workshop was held at the ITE Singapore Campus from February 19 to March 3, 2018. The training participants consisted of productive teachers in the field of machinery, electrical power utilization techniques, and industrial automation techniques. They come from Vocational High School in Aceh Province, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.