VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) chaired a limited cabinet meeting at the Bogor Palace, Bogor, West Java, Wednesday, to discuss the development of human resources for acceleration of economic growth.

"I want to recall that a large stage of infrastructure development has been ongoing, and several projects have been completed, and many results have been seen. We will enter the next major stage, which is investment in the field of human resources to boost development," Jokowi, who was accompanied by Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla, stated.

The development of human resources must be able to turn an Indonesian population of 260 million into a major force of Indonesia, he added.

"Not only to support acceleration in economic growth, but it should also be able to improve the welfare to catch up with common progress," he stated.

The president outlined two keys in the development of human resources, with the first being improvement in the education system, particularly through revitalization of vocational education that has to be aligned with the industrial needs and technological progress.

"Over the last four years, we had begun making changes and improvements in our vocational education system, but I think we have not fully carried out major changes," he stated, adding that a major overhaul must be conducted.

The second key is improvement of the skills of job seekers and workers through vocational courses and certification program, he remarked.

"I ask that next year, it should be done on a large scale. I have seen, for instance, in the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry (PUPR), the certification program for workers has run very well, but it is still on a small scale," he noted.

The program must be pushed further by involving the government, businesses, and education stakeholders, as well as Islamic boarding schools.

The limited cabinet meeting was attended by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Presidential Staff Chief Moeldoko, State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara, and Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto. (ANTARA)