Majority of Job Seekers in Batam Are High School Graduates: Addressing the Skills Gap

BATAMCLICK.COM: The Batam City Manpower Office (Disnaker) in Riau Islands (Kepri) reported that the majority of job seekers throughout 2024 were graduates of Senior High School (SMA) and its equivalents.

Head of Disnaker, Rudi Sakyakirti, revealed that out of 17,584 job seekers successfully placed in the workforce, 12,465 were high school graduates.

“According to our data, most job seekers are high school graduates. Additionally, there are 60 junior high school (SMP) graduates, 32 Diploma I (D1) graduates, 8 Diploma II (D2) graduates, 747 Diploma III (D3) graduates, and 848 Bachelor’s degree (S1) holders,” he explained during an interview in Batam on Tuesday.

BACA JUGA:   Laporan Keuangan Telkom Tahun 2023

The significant number of high school graduates seeking employment has become a primary concern, as SMA education is designed to prepare students for higher education rather than entering the workforce.

“In reality, many high school graduates are looking for jobs, but they lack basic skills required by industries. This differs from vocational high school (SMK) graduates, who are generally more job-ready due to their technical training,” Rudi noted.

To address this issue, Disnaker plans to focus on aligning job training programs with the educational backgrounds of job seekers.

BACA JUGA:  Kepala BP Batam, Muhammad Rudi Terima Kunjungan Duta Besar RI untuk Rumania

“We have already engaged with several vocational high schools (SMKs) in Batam to provide guidance and training, but we have not extended such efforts to general high schools (SMAs),” he added.

Disnaker Batam also plans to coordinate with local governments to design labor policies that align better with market demands.

“Parents need to understand their children’s abilities and interests. If the family’s financial situation does not support continuing to higher education, it would be better to guide children towards vocational high schools (SMKs), where they can acquire practical skills directly applicable in the workforce,” Rudi advised.

BACA JUGA:  Klopp Sindir Stadion Real Madrid

With the right policies and targeted training initiatives from Disnaker Batam, it is hoped that unemployment among high school graduates in Batam can be significantly reduced, providing them with greater opportunities to compete in the job market.***