Jambi: First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo and the wife of the Vice President of Indonesia, Wury Ma'ruf Amin, inaugurated the opening of the Tekun Tenun Indonesia 2022 Entrepreneurship Skills Education (PKW) Program. This program is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) and the National Craft Council (Dekranas).

The opening was marked by the commencement of PKW Tekun Tenun Indonesia 2022 training for 1,000 students, also attended virtually by six participating provincial Dekranasda offices, namely Jambi, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, North Sumatra, and South Sumatra.

Iriana led the beating of the kompangan, a traditional Jambi tambourine, alongside Dekranas officials and Kemendikbudristek leaders. She also witnessed the symbolic awarding of participation badges to representatives of the PKW Tekun Tenun Indonesia 2022 students by Jambi Governor's wife, Hesnidar Al Haris, who serves as Chairperson of Dekranasda Jambi Province.

“It is an honor for us, Dekranasda Jambi Province, to have the opportunity to host the PKW Tekun Tenun Indonesia 2022 program to encourage the regeneration of Jambi weaving artisans and preserve Jambi's traditional weaving heritage,” said Hesnidar in a written statement on Thursday, October 20, 2022.

Meanwhile, the Secretary General of Kemendikbudristek, Suharti, stated that the PKW Program, organized by the Directorate of Courses and Training, is designed to incorporate and consider local elements in vocational skills development. It aligns with local potential and allows institutions accessing the PKW program to collaborate with local MSMEs.

Suharti mentioned that the PKW Tekun Tenun Indonesia 2022 Program follows previous initiatives, including PKW Tekun Tenun NTT in 2021 and PKW Priority Tourism Destinations in 2020. This collaboration aims to foster new entrepreneurs while preserving Indonesia's cultural heritage by training out-of-school youth with local craft skills as part of vocational education.

“Not only do they learn to create products, but they are also trained to develop entrepreneurial skills and attitudes so they can establish startup businesses under the guidance of tenun industry players and MSMEs,” said Suharti.

This year, 25 participating districts/cities will train 1,000 students specifically in weaving craftsmanship. Suharti noted that Kemendikbudristek has structured a 250-hour curriculum tailored to industry and market needs, providing weaving tools and materials as startup capital.

“We hope that upon completing the program, students will be able to independently produce and market their woven crafts with support from their local Dekranasda offices,” Suharti concluded.

Source: medcom.id