KUALA LUMPUR - The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Diktisaintek) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (KP2MI) to improve the quality and competitiveness of Indonesians working abroad.

Diktisaintek Minister Brian Yuliarto said the partnership aims to better match the skills of university and vocational graduates with international standards and the needs of foreign labour markets.

“Under this initiative, we aim to assist higher education graduates, including those with vocational backgrounds, in securing employment abroad,” he said

Yuliarto said the collaboration is crucial to raising Indonesia’s human capital and showing the country’s ability to compete globally.

“This effort is part of what we call ‘brain circulation,’ which is aimed at cultivating talent with expertise in specific fields to support Indonesia’s advancement and growth,” the minister stated.

KP2MI Minister Mukhtarudin said the cooperation is intended to produce high-quality migrant workers who meet global requirements and address the skills gap between graduates and overseas job demands.

He said the partnership was formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) following President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen human resource development.

“Today’s MoU marks a strategic milestone in our human development efforts at the upstream stage,” Mukhtarudin added.

Under the agreement, Mukhtarudin said P2MI will map overseas job opportunities, including skill needs and certification standards, and share the data with Diktisaintek to support a more integrated migrant worker management system.