Grow New IKM Entrepreneurs, Ministry Of Industry Tempa Residents Of Women's Prisons In Tangerang

Director General of Small and Medium Industries (IKMA) Kemenperin Reni Yanita. Photo: Doc. Ministry of Industry

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) through the Directorate General of Small, Medium and Multifarious Industries (IKMA) held an independent development activity through Technical Guidance for New IKM Entrepreneurs for inmates of Women's Correctional Institutions in Tangerang City on 17-22 July 2023.

This activity is a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Law and Human Rights which is also a collaboration between the Directorate General of Corrections, the Indonesian Women's High Leadership Association (PIMTI), and the Indonesian Batik Foundation (YBI).

The purpose of this collaboration is to improve the skills and creativity of the inmates of correctional institutions in producing products that have added value, as well as provide provisions and improve skills in making superior products through prisons.

"Lapas as a place of coaching can be a space for growth of creativity and inspiration, as well as an opportunity to create new entrepreneurs," said Director General of Small and Medium Industries (IKMA) of the Ministry of Industry Reni Yanita in a written statement received by VOI, Tuesday, July 18.

Reni said that the IKM WUB growth activity in the Tangerang Women's Prison was attended by 90 participants with three different topics. Meanwhile, the training carried out is Technical Guidance for WUB IKM Batik Cap/Tulis and Coloring Technical With 30 participants, Technical Guidance for WUB IKM Diversified Batik Cloth, and Technical Guidance for WUB IKM Processed Food for 30 participants.

"We expect all participants of this technical guidance to take advantage of the opportunity as well as possible to gain knowledge," he said.

According to Reni, coaching independence is very necessary so that the inmates have sufficient skills, so that after returning to the community, they are expected to be able to compete in the labor market and/or be able to live independently, and be useful for themselves, their families and communities.

This is because the expansion of employment can be a solution in improving welfare to reduce social inequality.

"This is expected to have a positive effect on the surrounding environment which is certainly carried out after the completion of the coaching period," he added.

So far, the Tangerang City Women's Correctional Institution has also provided various skills coaching to 268 inmates, such as in terms of technical food production in the form of making ready-to-eat snacks, beauty salon businesses, producing handicrafts, to sewing.