Mar 19, 2018 – 140 young people from less privileged family backgrounds in Cikarang have completed the Pathways to Employment program, initiated by Prestasi Junior Indonesia and JPMorgan Chase Foundation. This work skills training program aims to improve work readiness and work placement opportunities for school leavers. These young people aged 18-24 years have participated in technical training, especially in manufacturing and machinery, in order to improve their hard skills and specific industrial skills. They have also been equipped with knowledge about what they must do when applying for jobs and ethical considerations within the workplace through soft skills training. In addition, the students also had an opportunity to follow the process of internship in order to recognize and adapt to real work conditions.

Prestasi Junior collaborated with the institutions of Akademi Teknik Mesin Indonesia (ATMI) and PT Meta ATMI Didactic (MAD) in the implementation process. Professionals from within these organizations supported student learning and enabled leveraging of engagement from local industries. The impact is 30% of the beneficiaries have been accepted at entry level of the company in industrial area of Cikarang at this time and the rest are still involved in application and work placement process.

The idea for this initiative originated from the high number of young unemployed in Indonesia. In 2017, 58,9% of Indonesian unemployment was dominated by youth aged 15-24 years. More than a quarter of Indonesia’s unemployed, roughly 1.8 million, are located in West Java – which places West Java as the province with the highest number of unemployed in the nation. The improvements in quality and relevance of education, both formal and informal, and its direct impact on the issue of the lack of appropriate hard skills between young job seekers and prospective employers is an important strategy embedded within this initiative.

Through this program, JPMorgan Chase Foundation and Prestasi Junior Indonesia seek to provide the opportunities to improve self-competence for underprivileged youth. We are committed that all young people should have equal opportunities so they are ready to compete with other job seekers. By providing the Pathways to Employment opportunities, we believe they can improve the economic well-being of themselves, their families, and communities.