The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) continues to strive to prepare competent Human Resources (HR) to meet the needs of the manufacturing sector. Including for the Textile and Textile Products (TPT) industry. The provision of a skilled workforce is believed to be able to spur productivity and competitiveness of the textile industry sector. Thus encouraging national economic growth.

“Moreover, the textile industry is one of seven sectors that receive development priorities. This is in accordance with the implementation of the Making Indonesia 4.0 roadmap," said Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita during a working visit at the Solo Textile and Textile Product Industry Community Academy (AK-Textile), as quoted from a press release on Monday (21/6).

He explained that so far the textile industry has played an important role in making a significant contribution to the national economy. The sector, he continued, is also considered strategic because it is a labor-intensive sector with an export orientation.

Export performance from the textile industry was recorded at 10.55 billion US dollars in 2020. Meanwhile, from year to year, the absorption of labor in the textile industry sector continues to increase.

In 2019, there were 2.8 million workers, up from 1.7 million workers in 2018. Meanwhile, in 2020, despite the pressure from the pandemic, labor absorption in the textile sector actually jumped to 3.9 million people.

"The high demand for expert-level workers for the textile industry has made the Ministry of Industry take the initiative to collaborate with the Solo City Government, the Central Java Indonesian Textile Association (API), and Solo Technopark to establish AK-Textile Solo," said Agus. He added that AK-Textile Solo was established at the end of 2015, and was inaugurated directly by President Joko Widodo in January 2016.

AK-Textile Solo organizes an educational program equivalent to Diploma II which consists of three study programs, namely Yarn Making Engineering, Fabric Making Techniques and Garment Making Techniques. “AK-Textile is equipped with educational facilities in the form of laboratories, workshops and teaching factories. In addition, it is also equipped with a Professional Certification Institute and a Competency Test Place," explained Agus.

In fact, he continued, AK-Textile Solo has used the vocational education method which is also applied in advanced industrial countries, with the dual system concept. "That is, the AK-Textile curriculum is oriented towards mastering work skills by integrating education on campus with education in industry, so that effective learning synergies are realized in order to produce a workforce that has high competitiveness and is truly ready to work in the industrial world," he said. .

To date, AK-Textile Solo has graduated more than 1,000 students, with a total of 300 graduates each year. In fact, 100 percent of these graduates were immediately absorbed in work in large textile companies spread across various parts of Indonesia, such as PT Pan Brothers, PT Mataram Tunggal Garmen, and PT Sritex Tbk.