|
The lauded McKinsey report (2012),
Boston Consulting Group Report (May 2013) and other recent studies reveal an
alarming skills deficit in the Indonesian workforce: A skills deficit that will
hinder Indonesian development, a skills deficit already impacting economic
development in Indonesia.
A recent USAID Study titled Measure: Indonesia — The enterprise development diagnostic tool, shows Indonesia falling glaringly short in workforce skills development rankings in the percentage of firms offering formalized training. Indonesia’s score is ten times lower than comparative countries.
This Indonesian skills deficit is right now being harvested by foreign expertise that leaves power and repeat business in the hands of foreign experts.
This means the skills deficit is growing. Indonesia is becoming more and more dependent on foreign expertise. We will become the labor for foreign capital, urban peasants prevented from joining a technological world through the withholding of technical expertise.
Technological expertise is withheld until and unless you pay for it. It’s the way democratic capitalism works; here in the US, in China and Russia. When capitalism is applied to education it means that education is regarded as something you buy and sell — a commodity. And teachers become service delivery agents.
This is modern colonization. New technology is commandeered by those from developed economies where knowledge means power. And when you have an established economy selling technology and expertise to a developing economy, opportunity exists to withhold education. The inclination is to hold on to the knowledge advantage as long as possible.
But hold on. We’re talking about education. Not luxury imports. Not food parcels. Not goods. We’re talking education as a public “good” — an entitlement. Isn’t that what education is? Or is it something you can only have if you can afford to pay for it?
We’re talking about a nation of people being denied access to the means to improve their families’ lives. We’re talking about an economy being denied the ability to take charge of its own workforce development needs.
New technology and skills are being withheld as eager foreign nationals snap up opportunities to make a quick buck through company short-sightedness and the concentration on returning an annual profit to shareholders.
Do the shareholders care about sustainable development? Do they care about a transfer of skills from developed economies to assist developing economies? Or are they harvesting the Indonesian skills deficit and ensuring the deficit can be harvested again, year after year?
These foreign experts are very happy to share their expertise; for a price. They charge and we are prepared to pay US$1,000 a day or more to get staff trained, not just once but time and time again, as staff move on.
What we need to do is get Indonesians trained to deliver the training ourselves. Train the trainers. Pay to up skill Indonesian trainers, get some sustainable workforce development going.
Some universities are committed to working with government to bring about change so that Indonesia can take charge of up skilling our own engineers, technicians and leaders, especially, in oil and gas, mining and energy. These are sectors crucial to Indonesia’s development over the next decade. We can’t afford to leave top level expertise in the hands of foreigners; we must urgently learn and become the masters of our own destiny.
We need the foreign expertise initially to train Indonesian trainers and then enable our own trainers to lead technical training throughout Indonesia.
I know of one local university that is working with government agencies and foreign experts to share expertise, develop and build up in-country trainers; to move Indonesia closer to autonomy and eventually to take a leadership role in our own workforce education and training. Perhaps then we can assist other less developed economies towards achieving their own autonomy.
Indonesia needs foreign expertise but we need to access it so that we progressively become less dependent on it being sourced from abroad. We need to build our own Indonesian expertise, and enhance the skills of our trainers in the pedagogy of effective education and training in Indonesia and for Indonesia. We can do this.
We will take a lead in decolonization of workforce development. We will build our own strong, resilient group of Indonesian expert trainers. We will take the lead in sharing and growing indigenous expertise. ●
A recent USAID Study titled Measure: Indonesia — The enterprise development diagnostic tool, shows Indonesia falling glaringly short in workforce skills development rankings in the percentage of firms offering formalized training. Indonesia’s score is ten times lower than comparative countries.
This Indonesian skills deficit is right now being harvested by foreign expertise that leaves power and repeat business in the hands of foreign experts.
This means the skills deficit is growing. Indonesia is becoming more and more dependent on foreign expertise. We will become the labor for foreign capital, urban peasants prevented from joining a technological world through the withholding of technical expertise.
Technological expertise is withheld until and unless you pay for it. It’s the way democratic capitalism works; here in the US, in China and Russia. When capitalism is applied to education it means that education is regarded as something you buy and sell — a commodity. And teachers become service delivery agents.
This is modern colonization. New technology is commandeered by those from developed economies where knowledge means power. And when you have an established economy selling technology and expertise to a developing economy, opportunity exists to withhold education. The inclination is to hold on to the knowledge advantage as long as possible.
But hold on. We’re talking about education. Not luxury imports. Not food parcels. Not goods. We’re talking education as a public “good” — an entitlement. Isn’t that what education is? Or is it something you can only have if you can afford to pay for it?
We’re talking about a nation of people being denied access to the means to improve their families’ lives. We’re talking about an economy being denied the ability to take charge of its own workforce development needs.
New technology and skills are being withheld as eager foreign nationals snap up opportunities to make a quick buck through company short-sightedness and the concentration on returning an annual profit to shareholders.
Do the shareholders care about sustainable development? Do they care about a transfer of skills from developed economies to assist developing economies? Or are they harvesting the Indonesian skills deficit and ensuring the deficit can be harvested again, year after year?
These foreign experts are very happy to share their expertise; for a price. They charge and we are prepared to pay US$1,000 a day or more to get staff trained, not just once but time and time again, as staff move on.
What we need to do is get Indonesians trained to deliver the training ourselves. Train the trainers. Pay to up skill Indonesian trainers, get some sustainable workforce development going.
Some universities are committed to working with government to bring about change so that Indonesia can take charge of up skilling our own engineers, technicians and leaders, especially, in oil and gas, mining and energy. These are sectors crucial to Indonesia’s development over the next decade. We can’t afford to leave top level expertise in the hands of foreigners; we must urgently learn and become the masters of our own destiny.
We need the foreign expertise initially to train Indonesian trainers and then enable our own trainers to lead technical training throughout Indonesia.
I know of one local university that is working with government agencies and foreign experts to share expertise, develop and build up in-country trainers; to move Indonesia closer to autonomy and eventually to take a leadership role in our own workforce education and training. Perhaps then we can assist other less developed economies towards achieving their own autonomy.
Indonesia needs foreign expertise but we need to access it so that we progressively become less dependent on it being sourced from abroad. We need to build our own Indonesian expertise, and enhance the skills of our trainers in the pedagogy of effective education and training in Indonesia and for Indonesia. We can do this.
We will take a lead in decolonization of workforce development. We will build our own strong, resilient group of Indonesian expert trainers. We will take the lead in sharing and growing indigenous expertise. ●
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar