The East Java Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and the Consortium of Vocational Universities in Java initiated the formation of a Teaching Factory (TeFa) with industries in the Special Economic Zone (KEK) Java Integrated Industrial and Ports Estate (JIIPE) Gresik.

This step is a follow-up to the East Java Chamber of Commerce's efforts to implement the President's mandate contained in Presidential Regulation No. 68 of 2022 concerning Revitalization of Vocational Education and Vocational Training.

Chairman of Kadin Jatim Adik Dwi Putranto revealed, TeFa is a learning model that can provide practical experience like the real situation in the industrial or business world to students, so as to bridge the competency gap between the needs of the industrial or business world and the knowledge learned in educational institutions and / or training institutions.

"The establishment of TeFa together with related industries will improve access, quality, and relevance of Vocational Education and Training in accordance with the needs of the labor market," said Adik Dwi Putranto in Surabaya, Friday (17/5/2024).

TeFa also aims to equip human resources or workforce with competencies for work or entrepreneurship that meet the demands of industry and future work (Future of Work - FoW).

Adik emphasized that the application of TeFa which is a learning model with an industrial atmosphere applied in vocational schools both in vocational schools and vocational colleges should be carried out in synergy between the industrial world and the world of education so that it can meet the demands of HR competencies in the industry or the world of work.

For this reason, Kadin Jatim together with a consortium of universities and Gresik Regency Government have held discussions with business people in East Java. Our initial stage invited the industry in the JIIPE area last Sunday.

"The activity is to unite the concept between Kadin, Gresik Regency Government, Vocational Colleges, and also companies in Gresik, especially KEK and JIIPE related to the discussion of the vocational education curriculum for employment needs," he added.

The discussion also discussed what field needs are needed by companies which will later be adjusted to the teaching pattern at Vocational Universities (PTV).

"In addition to expertise competence and methodical competence or hard skills, it is also important to pay attention to individual and social competencies which are soft skills to form superior and competitive human resources," he said.

Therefore, Kadin Jatim continues to encourage connectivity between the world of education and the world of industry that is well integrated. Kadin also conducts training once a year, namely workplace training to produce workplace trainers so that the apprenticeship process can run well and structured.

"We are seriously preparing human resources in East Java to go to the Golden Indonesia in 2045. This is also to reduce the unemployment rate in East Java, especially from vocational school graduates," he said.

Data from the East Java Central Bureau of Statistics shows that until now vocational school graduates have the highest Open Unemployment Rate (TPT) in East Java, which is 6.42%. Followed by high school graduates who have a TPT of 4.64%. The East Java TPT in February 2024 was 3.74% or down 0.59% points compared to February 2023.

Meanwhile, Gresik Deputy Regent Aminatun Habibah said that so far the absorption of human resources in Gresik is still relatively low. Although there is already a regional regulation regarding the rules for the absorption of local labor which ranges from 60% in companies operating in the Gresik area, in reality there are still problems with this absorption.

"With JIIPE, we hope that it can be realized, Gresik Regency will become one of the main pillars of the economy in Indonesia. The MoU has also been carried out with Industrial Partners, the hope is that not only apprenticeship, but also direct study in the industry, "concluded Aminatun Habibah.