Jokowi: Indonesia Short on Digital Talents and Content Creators

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia needs more digital talents and content creators to support digital acceleration progress in the country, according to Jokowi.

The Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo is taking measures to have 9 million digital talents by 2035.

“We need more software engineers, product designers, and content creators,” said Jokowi during a Google-hosted online event.

When it comes to Indonesia’s digital talents, Jokowi insists that efforts to boost human capital development can no longer wait.

Read also: Indonesia's Digital Economy Potential Hinges on Equal Internet Access

Admitting that the government cannot fulfill the goal on its own, the Indonesian President shared that it would require a communal effort involving the government, universities, and the private sector.

Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartanto concurred, saying that Indonesia has a digital economic potential worth $124 billion or Rp 1.75 trillion by 2025.

He additionally thanked Google for hosting the event as well as backing the Indonesian government with their digital programs.

Read also: Google, Temasek Now Shareholders of Indonesian E-commerce Unicorn Tokopedia

“Thank you to Google for their digital training and financing with low-interest rates totaling to $10 million to SMEs.” 

In Indonesia, Google has several programs to assist in the development of digital talents nationally.

Read also: Indonesian SMEs That Resisted Digital Adoption Collapsed during Pandemic

Its JuaraGCP program is one example where it teaches an individual to create an app, analyze data, and learn about machine learning on the Google Cloud.

The US-based Big Tech company has successfully trained 1,000 individuals through its Digital Talent Scholarship program which partners with Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Google Indonesia has also partnered with the country’s biggest startups Gojek, Tokopedia, and Traveloka through its Bangkit program.

The Big Tech company is also working with the country’s Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs for the Bangkit program in a bid to improve the technical skills of Indonesia’s digital talents in the field of programming.

(Writer: Wahyunanda Kusuma Pertiwi | Editor: Oik Yusuf)

Source: https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2020/11/18/11220037/jokowi-indonesia-butuh-lebih-banyak-software-engineer-dan-kreator-konten