Provide Skills for Indonesian Unemployed Youth

At YUM’s Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Cipanas, we not only provide various courses to support job readiness but we also organise workshops, such as Job Seeking Skills, Financial Literacy, and Public Speaking. This term, we welcomed special guest speakers for the Job Seeking Skills workshop. Our guest speakers came from the law firm Widyawan and partners, who are associated with Linklaters, YUM’s donors for the past 10 years. The session was attended by 27 participants who were either our VTC students or part of our student sponsorship program.

The presentation focused on explaining to the youth that preparing for a job search is as important as preparing their CV. Before writing their CV, it’s crucial for them to do research on the job and the company they are applying to. A session of how to write a CV and prepare for the job interview was also part of the presentation. The participants enjoyed the video about how to do the interview correctly. They learned about what to do and what not to do during the interview. At the end of the session, one of the participants played the role as interviewee while the speaker played the role as the interviewer. It was a fun and informative session for everyone. 

“It is easy to understand the materials given by the speakers. This is the first time for me attending the workshop which prepares us to be ready for employment. In the future, I want to be a banker. From this workshop, I know how to make a good resume and be more ready for the interview. ” IK, student. 

“The workshop is fun and full of new information. My friend and I never had this kind of information before. We are grateful to have all of the knowledge directly from the expert.  Right now, I am in my first semester at Hospitality school. At YUM’s VTC, I enrolled in an English course at the Basic level. What I have learned today will definitely be useful for my future. “  FA, student. 

In other news: YUM’s 2021 Annual Report has been published! Find out more about all our activities by going to YUM 2021 Annual Report

The World Bank estimated in 2020 that 91,000 children in Indonesia would drop out of school - including a 0.15 percentage point increase in secondary school dropouts. This increase in dropout rates would eventually lead to an increase in youth unemployment and ultimately the perpetuation of poverty in rural areas of Indonesia.Low levels of education and a lack of adequate skills are the main contributing factors to the high unemployment rate. The Vocational Training Centre (VTC) we run in Cipanas, West Java, not only provides various job readiness skills, but also different workshops, such as our Job Seeking Skills Workshop.

Last month, for the first time since the pandemic, we ran the Job Seeking Skill workshop with the help of Mr. I Kadek Darmayuda, who is the Housekeeping Manager at one of the hotels in the area. He started the workshop by explaining how to make a persuasive application letter and curriculum vitae, then he continued by sharing about what a company wants from a potential candidate. He ended the sessions by sharing tips on how to be successful in an interview. In between the sessions, he sometimes asks the student simple questions that would lead to a discussion. There were 46 participants attending this workshop, and they are all active students of our English, Sewing and Computer classes. 

“My latest education is junior high school. I did not continue to high school because my parents could not afford the tuition fees. Right now, I am enrolled in the Sewing class. Mr Kadek has given me so much precious information about job applications. He delivered the material in an easy way to understand. “ Lutfiah, 18 years old

“I am a student of Computer class, my tutor is Mr. Deden. I am glad that now I have more information about how to apply for a job in the future. I hope for more workshops like this in the future.” Jeris, 18 years old, 12th grader.

We wish to run more workshops for these students, in addition to the job readiness skills offered at the VTC. The pandemic is predicted to worsen the labor market especially for Indonesia’s young candidates. For these reasons, we believe that providing job readiness training and soft skills for youth would give the required support for them in their path to becoming productive adults.