The East Java Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Jatim) together with the Kadin Institute and the Association of Indonesian Professional Assessors (IASPRO) East Java organised a workshop with the theme "Improving Assessor Competence towards the Quality of Competency Certification as quality assurance in Professional Certification Bodies" at the Choice City Hotel Ballroom BG Jungtion Mall, Surabaya (27/1/2024). This activity was attended by around 375 Competency Assessors from various regions throughout East Java.

Chairman of Kadin Jatim, Adik Dwi Putranto, emphasised that the existence of Competency Assessors is very important in realising Indonesia's aspirations to build quality and competitive Human Resources (HR).

He said the need for competency-certified labour will continue to increase due to increased investment in the food and beverage industry, mining, textile and fashion, chemical, automotive, electronics, and handicraft sectors.

"The national work competency certification system requires qualified competency assessors, because competency assessors play a central role in assessing and ensuring that certification participants meet predetermined criteria. If the competency assessors are not competent, the quality of vocational education will be questioned," said Adik (29/1).

Director of Kadin Institute, Nurul Indah Susanti, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of HR and Labour of Kadin East Java, revealed that Professional Certification is a process of providing competency certification carried out systematically and objectively through competency assessments that refer to the Indonesian National Work Competency Standards (SKKNI) or Special Competency Standards or International Standards in order to improve the implementation of the National competency certification system.

"The National Competency Certification System is the basis for ensuring that the workforce must have competence in accordance with standards. Competency certification is also one of the quality assurance instruments at the Certification Body (LSP)," he explained.

BNSP member Miftahul Aziz during the workshop talked about optimising the role of competency assessors in maintaining the quality of competency certification. In Indonesia, the number of competency assessors who have registered with the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP) is 65,558 and LSP 2856 in 2023. Especially in East Java Province, with the availability of 366 Professional Certification Bodies (LSP) and the number of assessors is approximately 6,500 people. This indicates a great potential to have a positive impact on quality assurance in the LSP needs to be improved.

"Through this activity, it is expected that the results of competency certification can reach the optimal level, provide real benefits in the industry and improve the competitiveness of human resources in East Java," said Miftakul Aziz.

Miftakul Aziz also conveyed 8 important points to the LSP, namely development programmes, MUK review, assessment validation, assessor performance and compile MUK, assessors must have technical competence, assessors are able to implement plans and assessments and implement quality management systems.

Chairman of DPP IASPRO Irwan Usman said, as a forum for improving the quality of competency assessors, the Indonesian Professional Assessors Association or IASPRO has been formed in East Java. There are around 5,000 assessors in 366 professional certification bodies, consisting of 300 first-party LSPs, 6 second-party LSPs, and 60 third-party LSPs.

"The quality of assessors at third-party LSPs is the key to increasing labour productivity as well as the progress of the Indonesian economy," he explained.

This activity is a concrete step and effort of IASPRO as a professional organisation in collaboration with Kadin East Java to collaborate with LSP as a competency assessor house and make a positive contribution to BNSP policies in improving assessor competence to support the development of quality work competencies in East Java.