Minister of Research and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir has urged all higher education institutions, particularly state universities, to produce competent undergraduates and diploma graduates in line with the industry demands.

"This is an effort to improve the quality of human resources. Hence, universities can no longer afford to produce graduates that are unable to meet the requirements of the industry," he remarked after attending the Plenary Meeting of the Indonesian Economic Scholars Association (ISEI) at Stikubank University, Semarang, on Monday.

Minister Nasir affirmed that massive endeavors will be made to boost the quality of college graduates to obtain optimal results in terms of the human resources.

The minister highlighted the need for students to secure competency certification to respond to challenges arising from digital transformation that have changed the structure of the labor market.

Furthermore, the policy of necessitating undergraduates and diploma graduates to obtain a competency certificate aims to ensure that those from universities are employable.

"Hence, scholars and diploma holders must obtain competency certificates, and we will implement this on a massive scale," he stated.

The minister confirmed that his party will revitalize higher education through vocational education, so that after graduation, the students have not only obtained a diploma but also a certificate of competence in their respective fields, especially in the areas of science and technology.

"In addition, college graduates must be able to compete and boost economic growth of the surrounding community," he stated. (ANTARA)