Heaptalk, Jakarta — The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenparekraf) has announced the socialization of the latest program addressed to the Millennials and Generation Z, namely the Youth Empowerment Program. The recent program Focuses on the massive demographic in Indonesia and concerns re-skilling and up-skilling Generation Z and the Millennials from entire cities in Indonesia. Likewise, the program contemplates quickening national economic growth.
Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, revealed four crucial elements that turn into the campaign’s primary concern by referring to 4 AS, which means Kerja KerAS (Work Hard), Kerja CerdAS (Work Smart), Kerja TuntAS (Work Thoroughly), and Kerja IkhlAS (Work Genuinely). The program intends to enhance the public’s competencies and carry out the latest renovation to re-establish the tourism and creative economy.
“4 AS stands for Kerja KerAS (Work Hard), optimizing skills and competencies for strategically to reach an achievement, Kerja CerdAS (Work Smart), utilizing technology, digitization, virtualization and science to transform business, Kerja TuntAS (Work Thoroughly), discovering a creative method to chase away the boredom and fear, Kerja IkhlAS, always make sure to do your best and leave everything to the Almighty in determining the outcome,” said Sandiaga in his press conference statement (15/11).
Generation Z and Millenials are also encouraged to provide a sizeable contribution for the country throughout 4 AS points. Hence, this recent program presents a series of initiatives in empowering the youth in the tourism sectors and creative industries, including technical guidance, webinar, leadership, and incubator program by shaping to the three particular of The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, namely innovation, adaptation, and cooperation.
Furthermore, Sandiaga Uno adds in his speech during the press conference, “through these initiatives, we also carry on innovating utilizing big data to plot the opportunities and potentials of youth in the tourism and creative economy sectors. The ability to adapt is undoubtedly turned into a key, principally to encounter the COVID-19 outbreak. The youth is expected more clever to identify the opportunity in boosting their skills in the tourism sector, which be able to create the latest professions for the nation’s economic retrieval,”
Tourism is the most influential sector of economic improvement in Indonesia, which accounts for nearly 5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually in advance of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this industry encountered challenges heavily amid the outbreaks. The tourism sector was highly affected in the second year of the pandemic and forced to stop. This outcome affected a decrease of 6.67% of the workforce in the tourism sector.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy estimates that 60% of job opportunities have not been cultivated in Indonesia during a post-COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, Generation Z and Millennials are required to enhance their competence in diverse fields of expertise, such as webinars and training on entrepreneurship, handicrafts, and tourism and creative industries, which are the foundation of the 4 AS program proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
Generation Z and Millennials significantly reach almost 54% of the 277 million Indonesian population in 2021. consequently, the 4 AS program will refer to the largest demographic of the workforce, namely Generation Z and Millennials in Indonesia. Sandiaga explains, “Thus, by maximizing the Millenials and Generation Z abilities is a solution of a successful factor of the recovery in the tourism sector, as well as accelerating of new job vacancies for economic growth,”
On the other hand, the crucial factor in espousing the youth to explore their creativities are the partnerships and the collaboration among the stakeholders. Sandiaga adds in his closing statement during the press conference, “the creativity carries out the youth to be more agile in creating job vacancies, not only as job seekers.”
