City gov’t prepares skilled labor
In its bid to create skilled labor of international standard, the municipal administration of Yogyakarta is assisting state vocational high school SMK Negeri 1 to obtain the ISO 901 certificate for school quality.
“We are currently preparing both infrastructure and human resources. The municipal government has also provided a stimulant fund of Rp 70 million to the school,” said the acting head of the municipal education office, Syamsuri.
According to him, the ISO 901 certificate is expected to open the way for the school’s graduates to compete on the global labor market.
Syamsuri also said that the government was also preparing other vocational schools — which number seven of 30 total high schools — in the municipality to obtain the same certificate. Of some 30 high schools in the municipality, seven are vocational schools.
He said the municipal education office was also opening training programs to create the skilled labor needed, in line with the municipal policy to create more vocational high school of high quality in the future by merging smaller general high schools into one large vocational school.
“High schools that are running out of students, therefore, will be eventually merged into a vocational school,” Syamsuri said.
– JP/Slamet Susanto