The Pre-Employment Card Program Scheme Has Been Changed, Now It's No Longer Semi Social Assistance

Photo Illustration ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs together with relevant stakeholders has begun to prepare a normal scheme or offline implementation for the Pre-Employment Card program.

"The main focus of the normal scheme is no longer on social assistance as previously implemented, but will focus on improving the skills of the recipients," said Deputy for the Coordination of the Digital Economy, Manpower and MSMEs at the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy, Rudy Salahuddin, who also serves as Head of the Card Program Implementation Team. Pre-employment quoted from Antara, Friday, July 1.

Although the training costs will be higher and training can be done offline and online, said Rudy, the implementation of the Pre-Employment Card will encourage offline training.

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to recover which will turn into an endemic, the government plans to run a normal scheme by holding offline training which is the initial design of the Pre-Employment Card Program.

The normal scheme focuses on improving the skills of the recipients, and is no longer semi-bansos, where the training cost assistance will be greater than the incentives provided.

Through the Pre-Employment Card Program with the normal scheme, the Government encourages trainings with competencies that are relevant to market needs. Training can also be done offline, online, and hybrid.

Through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) activities, stakeholders discuss and get input in preparing the implementation of the Normal Scheme of the Pre-Employment Card Program.

Various stakeholders ranging from the Government, Implementing Management of the Pre-Employment Card Program, related Ministries of Institutions (K/L), academics and professionals, associations and industry, to training institutions were present to express various inputs for the implementation of the Pre-Employment Card program better.

“During the two years this program has been running, the Pre-Employment Card has been successfully implemented. Of course, with its success, very high expectations are also carried for sustainability in the future, "said the Assistant Team for the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Raden Pardede added.

The Pre-Employment Card has proven to have a positive impact on program beneficiaries and is considered capable of transforming the posture of the labor market in Indonesia.

Various results of evaluation surveys and research conducted by various external survey agencies and foreign institutions from 2020-2022, found that the program had a positive impact on improving the skills and employment of beneficiaries.

Surveys and research prove that 30 percent of pre-employment card recipients who were previously unemployed are now working or entrepreneurship.

Then, 90 percent of the beneficiaries also experienced an increase in competence, productivity, competitiveness, and entrepreneurial skills.

The program, which was launched in April 2020, has been given to 12.8 million beneficiaries spread throughout Indonesia which is inclusive and reaches vulnerable and minority groups.

The Pre-Employment Card program is present in 514 districts/cities, with 56 percent of the population living in villages and 49 percent of the gender population being female, and around 3 percent of people with disabilities.