BANDUNG BARAT | INDATANEWS.COM - Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower is accelerating the transformation of its Vocational Training and Productivity Centres (Balai Pelatihan Vokasi dan Produktivitas, BPVP) to bring vocational training into closer alignment with the needs of businesses and industry. The government aims to ensure that 70 per cent of vocational training graduates nationwide secure employment through improved training quality, stronger industry involvement and systematic graduate tracking.
Manpower Minister Yassierli said the centres must evolve into high-quality skills development hubs supported by strong learning cultures and integrated alumni networks. The transformation is intended to widen access to quality vocational training while improving graduates' prospects of finding jobs that match their skills and qualifications.
"We must work towards ensuring that these training centres deliver the greatest possible benefit to the public. Through the transformation of national vocational training, we are expanding access and improving quality so that we can respond to the current challenges in the labour market," Yassierli said during a working visit to the BPVP Bandung Barat in West Java province on Friday, 9 October 2026.
The government considers closer links between vocational training and labour market requirements a central priority of its reform agenda. The centres are therefore expected to do more than teach practical skills. They must prepare workers by developing the specific competencies sought by businesses and industrial employers.
Graduate Tracking to Measure Training Outcomes
The Ministry of Manpower will conduct a Tracer Study no later than two months after participants complete their training. The initiative is designed to monitor graduates' career progress and assess how effectively training programmes have helped them enter the labour market.
Graduate tracking will play a key role in evaluating vocational training programmes. Information about participants' circumstances after completing their courses will help the government assess the relevance of training content, the alignment between acquired skills and employers' requirements, and the improvements needed in future programmes.
The proposed employment target also highlights the importance of measuring outcomes rather than relying solely on training participation or completion figures. A programme's success will depend on whether the skills acquired translate into tangible employment opportunities and benefits for graduates.
Systematic analysis of Tracer Study findings is expected to support better planning and management of vocational training. Feedback from graduates can help the government adapt programmes to changing industrial requirements, technological developments and shifts in the labour market.
The transformation therefore extends beyond upgrading facilities or delivering training courses. The government aims to establish a system that can assess the long-term value of vocational programmes, with particular emphasis on their effectiveness in helping people enter the workforce.
EXPANDING ACCESS TO QUALITY TRAINING: Manpower Minister Yassierli highlights the importance of transforming vocational training to widen access to high-quality programmes and address labour market challenges. (PHOTO: Ministry of Manpower Press and Public Relations Office/Kemnaker)
Industry to Help Shape Skills Development
The Ministry of Manpower is also promoting training models that involve a range of stakeholders, including businesses, regional administrations, industrial estates and state-owned enterprises. Their cooperation will underpin a demand-driven approach, ensuring that training programmes reflect the actual needs of the economy and industry.
Under this approach, vocational centres are expected to align their curricula with the qualifications employers seek. Participants should acquire skills that are in demand and improve their employment prospects after completing their courses.
Industry involvement will also create opportunities to ensure that the competencies taught more closely match workplace requirements. Regional administrations can support implementation by adapting programmes to local economic potential and the specific workforce needs of their respective areas.
Such cross-sector cooperation is increasingly important as skills requirements evolve and competition for jobs intensifies. Training that responds more directly to industrial demand is expected to help narrow the gap between jobseekers' abilities and the qualifications employers require.
Alongside improving practical relevance, the ministry plans to extend BPVP services to additional population groups and economic sectors that need support with skills development. The initiatives include training opportunities for people with disabilities, Labour Productivity Clinics for medium-sized industrial businesses, and the development of Talent & Innovation Hubs as centres for innovation and skills development.
Yassierli stressed that the centres must eventually provide services far beyond conventional vocational courses. The government intends to integrate BPVP facilities into a broader workforce development system that supports industrial productivity while making employment-related services more accessible to different sections of society.
"This is not just about vocational training. In the future, every centre will have a Talent & Innovation Hub, complemented by placement services for people with disabilities and productivity clinics," Yassierli said.
DEVELOPING TALENT & INNOVATION HUBS: Manpower Minister Yassierli promotes the establishment of Talent & Innovation Hubs, employment placement services for people with disabilities and productivity clinics for medium-sized industrial businesses. (PHOTO: Ministry of Manpower Press and Public Relations Office/Kemnaker)
Expanding Employment Access and Boosting Productivity
The establishment of Talent & Innovation Hubs is intended to strengthen the centres' role in promoting innovation and developing workforce skills. Meanwhile, placement services for people with disabilities will help improve access to employment opportunities suited to their individual abilities and qualifications.
The ministry also plans to introduce Labour Productivity Clinics to help medium-sized industrial businesses improve their productivity. This initiative demonstrates that the transformation is not focused exclusively on jobseekers. It is also intended to help businesses develop their employees' capabilities and improve production performance.
By expanding these services, BPVP centres are expected to address a wider range of needs. They will be able to prepare jobseekers for employment, help existing workers upgrade their skills and support industrial businesses in aligning workforce qualifications with operational requirements.
Achieving the government's employment ambition will require close coordination between training providers, industry and the wider labour market. The Tracer Study, cooperation with businesses and industrial stakeholders, and expanded services for people with disabilities and industrial enterprises are among the key measures intended to strengthen this alignment.
Ultimately, the success of the transformation will depend on how effectively individual centres translate labour market requirements into relevant training programmes and measurable outcomes for participants.
Through these reforms, the Ministry of Manpower aims to strengthen vocational training as both a means of developing skills and a pathway into employment. The government expects the centres to deliver greater public benefit, better meet industry's workforce needs and make a sustainable contribution to productivity growth. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Ahmad Zulfikar | EDITOR: Fik Sagala