By: Randy Siregar )*
The government continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing skilled human resources (HR) to strengthen the downstream industry and attract greater investment. Collaboration between the Ministry of Investment and Downstream/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) and the Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker) is a concrete step in ensuring the readiness of the workforce to face the needs of modern industry and increase national competitiveness.
In an era of increasingly tight global competition, HR is not only a production factor, but also a strategic asset for economic growth. Without a workforce that has adequate skills and certification, investment entering Indonesia will not be able to provide optimal benefits. Therefore, the government is trying to create a training and certification system that is in line with the needs of the industry, especially in the downstream sector which is a national priority.
The Minister of Investment and Downstream/Head of BKPM, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani and the Minister of Manpower Yassierli agreed in their meeting that the readiness of the workforce is a crucial factor in supporting investment and downstreaming. The government realizes that investment success is not only measured by the amount of capital that comes in, but also by the extent to which the investment is able to create quality jobs.
Data shows that in the next five years, investment is projected to be able to create more than 2.6 million new jobs per year. In fact, last year alone with an investment realization of IDR 1,700 trillion, the workforce absorbed reached 2.45 million people, and this figure is expected to continue to increase to 2.8-2.9 million people per year.
In the context of attracting investment, the workforce readiness factor is one of the main considerations for investors. They not only see the potential of the large Indonesian market, but also seek certainty that the available workforce has skills that match the needs of the industry. Factories built in a period of two to three years must be immediately filled with ready-to-use workers. Thus, incoming investment can immediately operate effectively and have a positive impact on the economy.
Minister of Manpower, Yassierli said that his party had prepared various training infrastructures to support improving the quality of the workforce. Currently, there are 303 Vocational Training Centers (BLK) throughout Indonesia that are ready to be utilized to produce skilled workers that meet industry needs. The BLK plays an important role in providing competency-based training that can improve the skills of the workforce, so that they can be easily absorbed into the rapidly growing industry, especially downstreaming.
In addition to training, certification is also an important aspect in increasing the competitiveness of the Indonesian workforce, both at the national and international levels. The National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP) under the Ministry of Manpower is tasked with ensuring that workers who have undergone training have official certification recognized by the industry. With this certification, Indonesian workers are not only more competitive in the domestic market, but also have greater opportunities to work abroad. This step is part of the government’s grand strategy to make Indonesia a center for downstream industries based on skilled workers.
The collaboration between BKPM and the Ministry of Manpower does not stop at the training and certification stages. The two ministries also plan to draft a technical cooperation agreement to optimize the use of data in planning employment policies based on industry needs. With a data-based approach, the government can adjust the training curriculum to the ever-evolving industry trends, so that graduates of the training program are truly in line with the needs of the world of work.
In the long term, the synergy between employment and industrial downstreaming is expected to increase labor productivity and encourage more inclusive investment. With a competent and certified workforce, the competitiveness of the national industry can increase, which will ultimately contribute to sustainable economic growth. This HR-based development model also reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring that the economic growth that occurs truly benefits the wider community, not just a handful of parties.
In facing the challenges of the industrial revolution 4.0, HR development must also follow technological developments. Industrial digitalization and automation increasingly demand a workforce that has technical and adaptive capabilities. Therefore, training programs organized by the government must include technology-based skills so that the Indonesian workforce is not left behind in the industrial eratri digital. Thus, Indonesian human resources are not only ready to work in the natural resource-based downstream sector, but are also able to compete in the advanced manufacturing sector and technology-based industries.
Building skilled human resources is not just an investment in the workforce, but also an investment in the future of the nation’s economy. Therefore, all parties, including the government, the business world, and the community, need to play an active role in supporting efforts to improve workforce skills. With superior human resources, Indonesia can maximize investment and downstream potential to achieve more inclusive and sustainable economic growth. )* The author is an economic observer
