RRI.CO.ID, Bogor – Indonesia's Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, officially graduated 2,361 students from nine vocational high school-equivalent schools located across various regions in Indonesia. This event took place as part of the 2026 Simultaneous Graduation Ceremony for SMK-SMAK, SMTI, and Studium Generale, held in a hybrid format and centered at SMK-SMAK Bogor, West Java, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

On this occasion, the Minister of Industry praised the quality of the graduates, whom he deemed capable of competing globally. He also commended the success of previous alumni, many of whom are now active on the international stage.

Agus stated, “We are also quite proud that many alumni from our schools under the Ministry of Industry are now working abroad, in 21 countries, including the United States, Brazil, European nations, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, and they have been hired by multinational corporations, global companies, and world-class enterprises.”

Furthermore, the Head of the Industrial Human Resources Development Agency, Doddy Rahadi, reported that this year’s graduates have indeed been equipped with various prestigious competency certifications. This was done to facilitate their international careers.

“In addition to their graduation certificates, the graduates also receive national competency certifications from the Professional Certification Agency (LSP), and as many as 781 students have taken and passed international competency certifications from Hobart, Siemens, and Vapro. A total of 232 graduates also took the International TOEFL certification as preparation for career development on the global stage,” Doddy said.

With these robust certifications, the employment rate for alumni has risen very rapidly. As of July 2026, 1,483 graduates had already secured jobs. Some of the major industry partners hiring them include PT Panasonic Gobel Energy Indonesia and PT Astra Daihatsu Motor, as well as various other leading manufacturing companies.

He explained, “The three schools with the highest employment rates so far are SMK-SMTI Banda Aceh at 84.91 percent, SMK-SMTI Yogyakarta at 84.30 percent, and SMK-SMTI Bandar Lampung at 81.48 percent.”