Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The government plans to send 500,000 vocational high school (SMK) graduates to work overseas through the SMK Go Global program, a national initiative to boost employment and global competitiveness, Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar announced Wednesday (12/11/2025).

“Under the President’s directive, this year-end and in 2026 we’ll deploy SMK and high school graduates with special skills, such as welding, hospitality, and caregiving, to countries offering better salaries and career prospects,” he said, as quoted by antaranews.com

With a Rp 2.6 trillion allocation, the program will provide training and language preparation for placements in Germany, Turkey, Japan, and other countries. The initiative also addresses Indonesia’s 1.5 million unemployed vocational graduates.

Minister for Migrant Worker Protection Mukhtarudin added that the 500,000 participants include 300,000 SMK graduates and 200,000 from the general public. 

(mg/inp/pr/rs)