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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesia Launches Program to Prepare Vocational Graduates for Overseas Jobs

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesia's Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched the "3+1 SMK Foreign Employment Class" program to prepare vocational graduates for international jobs.
  • The program aims to equip 3,000 SMK graduates and 600 alumni with skills for the global labor market, including language proficiency and understanding foreign work cultures.
  • The initiative expands the standard three-year curriculum by adding a year focused on global employment readiness, with over 49 schools already participating nationwide.

Indonesia is taking a proactive stance in preparing its vocational high school (SMK) graduates for the global job market through the innovative "3+1 SMK Foreign Employment Class" program. Launched by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), this initiative signifies a strategic shift towards internationalizing vocational training, ensuring that Indonesian youth are competitive on the world stage. The program's rollout, coinciding with the departure of 3,000 graduates and 600 alumni for overseas employment, highlights its immediate impact and relevance.

SMK graduates are now being prepared to cater not only to domestic demands but also to the international job market.

· Abdul Mu'ti, Minister of Primary and Secondary EducationHighlighting the program's objective to broaden career opportunities for vocational graduates.

Minister Abdul Mu'ti emphasized that this program fulfills a constitutional mandate, guaranteeing every citizen the right to decent work, whether domestically or abroad. The "3+1" model, developed in 2025, addresses the increasing mobility of the global workforce by providing an additional year of specialized training. This extra year focuses on crucial skills such as language acquisition, cultural adaptation, and understanding international labor laws, bridging the gap between traditional education and the demands of overseas employment.

This program also represents an effort to fulfill a constitutional right, where every citizen is entitled to a decent livelihood.

· Abdul Mu'ti, Minister of Primary and Secondary EducationConnecting the program's goals to fundamental rights and national development.

From an Indonesian perspective, this program is more than just job placement; it's about empowering citizens, fostering independence, and positioning Indonesian workers as capable ambassadors abroad. Schools like Muhammadiyah 1 Malang Vocational High School are going the extra mile, collaborating with the military for discipline and with psychologists for mental resilience, and have already successfully placed graduates in Japan. This forward-thinking approach, which includes early preparation starting from the 10th grade as noted by SMKN 1 Buduran Sidoarjo's principal, Agustina, demonstrates Indonesia's commitment to leveraging its human capital for both national development and individual prosperity on a global scale.

Working abroad is not just about employment; it is about learning independence and serving as the nation's ambassadors.

· Tatang Muttaqin, Director General of Secondary and Special EducationEmphasizing the broader personal and national benefits of overseas work experience.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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