Vocational school (SMK) graduates in Indonesia may already be equipped with hard skills, but that is not enough. Soft skills also play a crucial role in obtaining and retaining a job. That is why the global Wadhwani Foundation has launched various AI-based upskilling programs aimed at developing soft skills for job seekers and workers, named JobRise and JobReady.
Dr. Ajay Kela, President and CEO of Wadhwani Foundation, during his first visit to Indonesia explained, “Our upskilling programs, JobRise and JobReady, focus on developing soft skills designed to meet the needs of users and the diversity of job sectors. The GenAI technology used for our platforms is also available in Indonesian, combined with direct mentoring from facilitators to conduct simulations and face-to-face collaboration.”
When meeting with the media at the Ministry of Education and Culture on Thursday (December 5), Ajay also demonstrated a simulation of the AI technology. “One example is that our platform can be used to practice job interviews. Users can input the job they are applying for and the language used, and the platform will provide various possible interview questions asked by the interviewer online,” he explained. Ajay then showed how users can answer the questions either verbally or in writing. The AI platform will then assess the answers, provide feedback, and suggest better responses.
Ajay mentioned that Wadhwani is very open to collaborating with the government, foundations, and private institutions that want to use this platform to improve the quality of job seekers or potential employees. “We are currently in discussions with various parties from the government, foundations, and private sectors to ensure this technology can reach more layers of society, especially young job seekers,” he said.
There are still many other skills that job seekers can learn through this digital platform. Daniel Tumiwa, Vice President and Country Director of Wadhwani Indonesia, during the same event shared about various training programs available for free on the Wadhwani platform. “For example, we offer training in critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and many others. The training system is very personal. Users can study the material, answer questions, and directly discuss any issues. All of this is answered right away using AI technology. By participating in these training sessions, we hope that SMK students and job seekers will become better equipped. They can also use the certificates from these training in their CVs,” explained Daniel.
Daniel also mentioned that they are looking for potential strategic collaborations with the government, non-profit foundations, associations, and corporations to provide as much access as possible to beneficiaries, at no cost. All of these programs and innovations are part of Wadhwani Foundation’s effort to achieve its target of getting 3 million people in Indonesia into decent employment by 2030. Wadhwani Foundation’s AI technology can be accessed through www.wadhwanifoundation.org (*)
