Astra Supports Link & Match Strengthening Initiated by B20 Future of Work & Education Task Force

JAKARTA: Building competitive and competent human resources (HR) requires multisector collaborations to produce quality young generations.

Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 68 of 2022 concerning the revitalization of vocational education and training encourages businesses’ involvement to align vocational education and training in the country.

As a response, PT Astra International Tbk and a number of its subsidiaries – PT United Tractors Tbk, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk, PT Astra Otoparts Tbk and PT Astra Daihatsu Motor pledged their commitment to advancing vocational education through the initiative to strengthen link & match initiated by the B20 Future of Work & Education Task Force (FOWE TF) led by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN). The initiative is an effort to build close partnerships between industries and businesses and educational institutions to help improve the quality of young domestic talent through vocational education internship programs.

The commitment is manifested in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the B20 FOWE TF, KADIN, Astra and Astra Group in Jakarta today (8/29). The hybrid event was attended by Chair of B20 Indonesia Shinta Kamdani, Chair of B20 FOWE TF and Director of Astra Hamdani Dzulkarnaen Salim, Deputy Chair of B20 FOWE TF Yusak Kristian Soelaeman, Chair of Employment Working Group and Ministry of Manpower Secretary-General Anwar Sanusi, Co-Chair of Employment Working Group Muhammad Arif Hidayat and B20 Indonesia Sherpa Rizal Affandi Lukman.

“The purpose of the MoU signing today is to improve collaborations between businesses and the education sector to create links and matches. I hope it doesn’t end here and that today’s event can become a catalyst for business actors and schools to develop more links and matches between the education sector and the business sector, which will bring positive outcomes to everyone,” said Hamdani Dzulkarnaen Salim.

The partnership is B20 FOWE TF’s concrete commitment to its policy recommendations which cover three main priorities – job creation, quality education for the future and diversity and inclusion.

At the event, Astra signed an Agreement to Develop the National Showcase of Astra’s fostered Vocational Schools (SMK BISA) with SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Kepanjen Malang and SMK PGRI 2 Ponorogo. The purpose of this agreement is to carry out the Development of the National Showcase of SMK BISA in 2022 by assisting the development of link & match programs at the vocational schools, which include facilities and infrastructure, teaching factory, strengthening learning and other activities that support link & match.

The Contribution of Astra to Vocational Education

As one of the corporate partners of the B20 FOWE TF, Astra wants its presence in Indonesia to make sustainable positive impacts through its various community development programs. In the field of Education, Astra has shown its contribution to improving education in Indonesia, especially vocational education. Astra always supports the implementation of vocational link & match, from curriculum alignment to employing vocational school graduates.

The commitment is executed through the development of SMK BISA Link & Match 8+i, which encompasses Curriculum Alignment, Project-Based Learning, Work/Industry Placements for Students and Teachers, Competency Certification, Teacher Upskilling-Reskilling, Guest Instructors, Development of Teaching Factory, Uptake Commitment and Development of Industrial-Based School Management.

Astra has several flagship vocational programs, such as productive teacher internships and SMK BISA teaching factory assessments, which have been implemented in 3,320 SMKs assisted by the Astra Group. Among them, over 1,200 SMKs have received the complete Link & Match 8+i program. This program aims to increase the competence and productivity of graduates, enabling them to take part in the nation’s economic recovery process. Apart from SMK, Astra also provides grants and learning facilities to several universities and supports the construction of vocational schools.

To create a link & match between education and industry demands, Astra takes various initiatives such as revitalizing the buildings of State Vocational High School (SMKN) 2, 5 and 6 in Surakarta. Astra also developed assistance programs for SMK BISA that comprise building soft skills courses and conducting teaching factory assessments, which are implemented through mentoring programs for students in the form of internships, competency development, certification and soft skills sharing for three years (2021-2023).

For teachers, there are capacity-building programs hoped to improve the quality of student learning to meet the basic principles of link & match that are suitable for industries. The programs consist of teacher competency development, certification and soft skills sharing to hone teaching expertise.

In addition, Astra and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia gave awards to innovative teachers from various school levels and to the best SMKs – those with 5-Star scores in the Vocational Link & Match Assessment.

Moreover, Astra’s support for vocational education is also realized through Astra Polytechnic under the auspices of Astra Bina Ilmu Foundation (YABI). Astra Polytechnic offers vocational higher education that is based on applied technologies that provide added value for improving people’s welfare. In 2021, the Karya Bakti United Tractors Foundation (YKBUT), with its vision to become the best mechanical skills education institution and heavy equipment operator in the world, signed an agreement with Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Vocational School to support the government program to improve vocational education in Heavy Equipment Engineering.

Astra’s spirit of advancing vocational education is in line with Astra’s mission to Prosper with the Nation and support Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals.

For further information, please contact:
Boy Kelana Soebroto
Head of Corporate Communications
PT Astra International Tbk
Ph.021-508-43-888

About Astra:

PT Astra International Tbk was established in 1957 in Jakarta as a general trading company under the name Astra International Inc. In 1990, for the purpose of the company’s initial public offering (IPO), the name of the company changed to PT Astra International Tbk, followed by listing its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange under the ticker code ASII.

Astra has developed its business by implementing a business model based on synergies and diversification within seven business divisions: 1) Automotive, 2) Financial Services, 3) Heavy Equipment, Mining, Construction & Energy, 4) Agribusiness, 5) Infrastructure and Logistics, 6) Information Technology and 7) Property.

Astra Group conducts business operations in all parts of Indonesia under the management of more than 240 companies, including subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, and was supported by more than 188,000 employees, as of December 2021.

As one of the largest national business groups in Indonesia today, Astra has built a strong reputation through offering a range of quality products and services, taking into account the implementation of good corporate and environmental governance. Astra always aspires to be the pride of the nation that participates in efforts to improve the welfare of the Indonesian people.

Astra’s business activities strive to apply a balanced mix in the commercial aspects of business and non-business contributions through 9 foundations and a variety of sustainable social responsibility programmes, namely Astra Untuk Indonesia Sehat, Astra Untuk Indonesia Cerdas, Astra Untuk Indonesia Hijau and Astra Untuk Indonesia Kreatif.

Astra initiated the Semangat Astra Terpadu Untuk (SATU) Indonesia Awards programme, which has entered its eleventh year, and has given recognition awards to 493 young Indonesians, consisting of 81 national level recipients and 412 provincial level recipients in the fields of Health, Education, the Environment, Entrepreneurship and Technology, which are integrated with Astra’s wide range of community activities through 133 Kampung Berseri Astra and 930 Desa Sejahtera Astra initiatives in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.

For further information, please visit www.astra.co.id & www.satu-indonesia.com, and follow Astra through Instagram (@satu_Indonesia), Youtube (SATU Indonesia), Facebook (Semangat Astra Terpadu) and Twitter (@satu_Indonesia).