VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Communication Ministry, Makassar City Govt to provide digital training - 

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics plans to provide digital training in cooperation with  the Makassar City Government, to 10,000 people in the city.

"There is a commitment from the provincial government and the city government to empower Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) not only on a local scale, but also on an international scale. Why are they targeting 10 thousand digital talents in South Sulawesi, especially Makassar? Because the Mayor of Makassar will not only provide training for these human resources, but also wants to produce 10,000 digital entrepreneurs,"  Hary Budiarto, the ministry's Human Resources Development and Research Deparment, said in a statement here on Sunday.

The Makassar training is part of the Digital Talent Scholarship program, which targets 50 thousand participants from Makassar, Semarang, Medan, Solo and Denpasar in the period of June to December this year.

The Makassar City Government is also targeting MSMEs actors to be able to enter the digital platform.

According to the ministry, every city must have professionals and digital entrepreneurs to grow. Their target for Makassar City is 6,500 digital entrepreneurs.

The Digital Talent Scholarship training program is expected to involve 100 participants in each phase. After the training, they will be selected to enter the stage of mentoring on digital entrepreneurs, for example training in food packaging.

"Participants will also be trained in product packaging to make it more attractive. Once they master it, they will then be taught how to put the products in the marketplace," he noted.

The trainees will also be provided with financial management software so that they can record their business income and expenses. With clear cash flows, banks are expected to be interested in providing capital for their businesses.

The Digital Talent Scholarship program is one of the efforts of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics to produce digital talents. Indonesia is estimated to need at least 9 million digital talents.

This year, the ministry is targeting 100,000 trainees in various academies available on the Digital Talent Scholarship, including training on entrepreneurship at the Digital Entrepreneurship Academy//ANT

Police check motorists at a checkpoint in Puncak, Bogor district, West Java. (ANTARA/M Fikri Setiawan/dok) - 

Indonesia’s daily COVID-19 cases climbed by 12,906 on Saturday, taking the total tally to 1,976,172, according to the Task Force for COVID-19 Response.

Jakarta recorded the highest number of daily infections at 4,895, followed by West Java (2,104) and Central Java (1,877).

The number of people recovering from the virus also climbed by 7,016, taking the total recoveries to 1,786,143, with Jakarta recording the highest number of recoveries at 2,443.

With 248 people succumbing to the virus, the death toll climbed to 54,291. Jakarta recorded the highest number of deaths at 59.

Meanwhile, the number of active cases, or patients receiving treatment and conducting self-isolation, increased by 5,642 to touch 135,738 on Saturday. The number of suspected cases reached 118,023.

The figure was based on the result of tests conducted on 122,410 specimens obtained from 75,605 people at laboratories across Indonesia.

The daily positivity rates for specimens and humans stood at 29.62 percent and 17.07 percent, respectively, the task force said//ANT

Chief of the East Java provincial health office, Herlin Ferliana. (ANTARA/Willy Irawan) - 

With the addition of five cases, the number of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infections in Indonesia’s East Java province has reached eight as of Saturday.

Of the eight patients infected with the Delta variant, four are undergoing treatment at the Lapangan Indrapura Hospital (RSLI) in Surabaya, three at private hospitals, and one at a regional general hospital (RSUD) in Bojonegoro, chief of the East Java provincial health office, Herlin Ferliana, informed on Saturday.

“They are among those netted during a raid at Suramadu bridge, while the others have earlier been treated at hospital,” she said.

She clarified that a subsequent test to detect the transmission of the new coronavirus variant will be conducted on patients with a Ct value of less than 25, who are currently receiving treatment at hospitals.

"If the Ct value is less than 25, we will conduct a genome sequencing (analysis) as a precautionary measure," she said.

She urged the public to be on the alert as the Delta variant is highly transmissible and thus, can spread quickly.

"We must all take extra caution to face the variant (of coronavirus) from India," she said.

On Monday (June 14, 2021), East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa had confirmed three people had been infected with the Delta variant in East Java.

While two of the patients experienced mild symptoms, the third was asymptomatic, she said adding, their condition was stable.

Forty-seven of the total 145 cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant detected in Indonesia have come from abroad, spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, disclosed on Wednesday.

"There are 47 imported cases and 98 local cases," the spokesperson said in a text message to ANTARA in Jakarta.

Of the total 1,989 sequences examined as of Sunday (June 13, 2021), 145 variants of concern (VoC) sequences have been detected that are believed to be more virulent and spread more rapidly, leading to deterioration of patients’ health post infection, Tarmizi said.

Indonesia has so far detected 36 cases of the B117 (Alfa) variant, five cases of the B1351 (Beta) variant, and 104 cases of the B1617.2 Delta variant, she added.

Currently, infections are spreading in several parts of Indonesia. The highest number of cases — 75 cases of the Delta variant and one case of the Alpha variant — have been recorded in Brebes, Cilacap, and Kudus in Central Java province, she said.

DKI Jakarta comes next, with 24 cases of the Alfa variant, four cases of the Beta, and 20 cases of the Delta variant, she added//ANT

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita visited the Academy of Textile and Textile Product Community (AK-Tekstil) in Solo on Friday (June 18, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Industry Ministry) - 

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has said his ministry is working on developing a competent workforce for the manufacturing sector given the high demand for skilled workers in the textile and textile product industry.

The availability of skilled workers is expected to boost national economic growth, he said in a statement issued here on Saturday.

“The high demand for skilled workers in the textile and textile product industry has encouraged the ministry to work on cooperation with the Solo city administration, Central Java's Indonesian Textile Association (API), and the Solo Technopark to establish the Academy of Textile and Textile Product Community (AK-Tekstil) Solo," he expounded.

AK-Tekstil Solo was established in 2015-end, and inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in January, 2016.

The academy offers three diploma degrees in yarn production techniques, clothes production techniques, and garment production techniques.

"AK-Tekstil is equipped with facilities such as laboratory, workshop, and teaching factory. It also has professional certification institution and competency test," Kartasasmita added.

The academy offers vocational education with a dual system concept that integrates learning on campus and in the industry, he said.

“Hence, there will be an effective synergy in education to produce competitive workforces which are ready to work in the industry," the minister elaborated.

At least 300 students have graduated from AK-Tekstil Solo every year and all of them have been employed by major textile plants across the country, such as PT Pan Brothers, PT Mataram Tunggal Garmen, and PT Sritex, Tbk, he added//ANT