press release empowering a competitive youth workforce in riau

Pekanbaru, November 5, 2020 – Jumila Wati, 26, feels grateful for her new job with a contractor company that serves the oil and gas industry. She was hired after recently earning Zahir Accounting certification through the SKK Migas – PT. Chevron Pacific Indonesia (PT CPI) Workforce Development (WFD) Program.

“Before I acquired Zahir Accounting certification,” Wati said, “I did not have a permanent job.”

Wati completed the July to September 2020 training and certification term, which included 200 participants from areas near PT CPI operations, including communities in the Bengkalis, Rokan Hilir, Rokan Hulu, Siak and Kampar regencies and in Pekanbaru and Dumai, two of the largest cities in Riau Province. SKK Migas – PT CPI works with Politeknik Caltex Riau (PCR) as an implementing partner. Program funding is generated through cost recovery, and PCR monitors and evaluates the program’s success through months-long alumni tracking.

On Thursday, Nov. 5, Wati and fellow participants were inaugurated through a virtual WFD Program closing event attended by Edy Natar Nasution, vice governor of Riau; Dr. Ahmad Saufi, director of the Ministry of Education and Culture for Partnership and Alignment of Industry and Entrepreneur World; Didik Sasono Setyadi, head of the SKK Migas Formality Division; and Wahyu Budiarto, senior vice president Corporate Affairs PT CPI.

“A certified, skilled workforce is expected to drive advancement in industry and entrepreneurship,” said Nasution in his welcome speech. “Programs like WFD also support the government in human resource capacity empowerment in Riau.”

Dr. Ahmad Saufi added, “This program is a concrete contribution to deliver the best generation in response to industrial needs.”

Setyadi of SKK Migas expressed his gratitude to the governments of Riau Province and its districts for supporting both the WFD Program and the upstream business sector. Government and community support are critical to the effort in increasing national oil production.

The WFD Program helps increase skills and competitiveness among the labor force and entrepreneurs, especially high school/vocational school graduates, the youth workforce and microenterprise owners.

“Our company’s social investment programs emphasize human resource capacity development in order to create long-term community independency especially in Riau,” said Budiarto of PT CPI.

In addition to providing Zahir Accounting training and certification, the WFD Program offers training and certification for Work Health and Safety Expert, or Ahli Kesehatan dan Keselamatan Kerja (AK3), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and MikroTik Certified Network Associate (MTCNA). CCNA and MTCNA involve computer network infrastructure management, which is essential in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era.

For Wati, the WFD Program not only provided a job opportunity but also sharpened her skills for managing her small business. For instance, her new strength in accounting has improved her ability to keep transactions in order.

Fakhrial Irsyadi, 25, can also attest to the WFD Program’s benefits. Irsyadi is a CCNA training and certification participant and a graduate of Riau Sultan Syarif Kasim II State Islamic University, or Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim (UIN SUSKA).

“I’m also helped on the [WFD] fee,” he said, “because if I had to bear the cost myself for such training and certification, it would be quite expensive for me.”

With the CCNA certification that he obtained through the program, Irsyadi secured a job in a private company in Surabaya that he says provides competitive pay and benefits. This year’s effort was the second in the life of the WFD Program and attracted approximately 1,200 applicants.

The first was in 2018 and had two training and certification programs, General AK3 and Heavy Equipment Operator. In addition to working with PT CPI, the implementing partner also works with government agencies, including the National Agency for Professional Certification, or Badan Nasional Sertifikasi Profesi (BNSP); the Workforce Agency, or Dinas Tenaga Kerja; and the Provincial and District Education Agency, or Dinas Pendidikan Tingkat Provinsi dan Kabupaten/Kota, in Riau.