Nurhajati, Professor of Management at Universitas Islam Malang (UNISMA), writes in her book Manajemen Perubahan (Change Management) that most people, upon witnessing change directly, are inclined to obstruct it with pessimism, declaring it impossible. However, if it succeeds, others will say that they could actually do it too, as long as there is hard work. The government will continue to make changes with new programs for the community. One of the latest programs is the Pre-Employment Card for millennial job seekers.
The Pre-Employment Card is a vocational training program aimed at the community, with a budget of Rp 10 trillion already prepared by the Jokowi government. The target audience is the working-age population. The productive working-age population in Indonesia is between 15 and 64 years old. The working-age population in Indonesia is largely made up of the millennial generation. From data from the Central Statistics Agency (2019), the workforce that is already employed, commonly referred to as the labour force, numbers 136.18 million people, while the unemployed number 7.05 million out of the total 2019 workforce in Indonesia.
The millennial working-age generation is Generation X according to demographic groupings. According to experts and researchers, the millennial generation is defined by births from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. They always use technology in their daily activities. In the workplace, millennials are more attracted to meaningful work rather than simply receiving payment.
It is no longer surprising that President Jokowi chose 7 special staff members consisting of young people from the millennial generation. The 7 special staff range in age from 23 to 36 years old. Viewed from their ages, the president’s special staff represent the nation’s best millennials and are part of Indonesia’s workforce.
Aminuddin Ma’ruf, one of the millennial special staff members, stated that his team has discussed many innovations from the Pre-Employment Card program. This program will be launched in 2020, pending the president’s signature through a Presidential Regulation first. The Pre-Employment Card will be very supportive for today’s millennial generation, as it is hoped that Pre-Employment Card holders will be able to directly choose training through a digital platform according to their respective criteria.
Ireland is one of the countries that has already implemented a pre-employment card program similar to the Indonesian government’s program. Ireland’s pre-employment card benefits are provided to citizens aged under 66 who have been unemployed for at least three days after being unemployed for a week. The benefit provided amounts to approximately Rp 3 million per week, with extra pay for those who have children. However, benefits are not provided to workers who voluntarily leave their jobs or lose employment due to committing violations. Benefits are not simply given for free; rather, workers are required to attend meetings and training organised by the Department aimed at getting workers back to work. However, benefits can be forfeited if recipients voluntarily leave their jobs, lose employment due to violations, are under 55 years old and receive redundancy, or do not attend meetings aimed at getting the unemployed back to work.
In our country, citizens who wish to obtain a Pre-Employment Card must go through various processes. Starting from registering on the Ministry of Manpower’s website to providing an evaluation of the training process provided. The registration rule is that those who register first will be able to participate in training first. This does not mean that there is no selection process in registration. Selection is carried out by the government online. Participants then undergo training with training costs covered by the government.
The implementation of the Pre-Employment Card program must be in accordance with its function as a transformation process. Pre-Employment Card holders who are untrained are transformed into trained, capable, qualified individuals who possess an entrepreneurial spirit. This transformation process will enable them not only to find employment but also to create new job opportunities. Therefore, this program is one of the best alternatives for reducing unemployment in Indonesia and its implementation deserves support. (*)
*) By: Rio Era Deka, S.Pd., M.M., Postgraduate Student at Universitas Islam Malang.
*) Column writing is the responsibility of the author, and this article was also published at timesindonesia.co.id
