Afriansyah Noor urges students to prioritize competence over GPAs

Indonesian Deputy Minister of Manpower Afriansyah Noor has urged university students to prioritize competence and practical experience over merely pursuing high GPAs and diplomas. He emphasized that students should prepare themselves to compete in a tightening job market or develop the skills necessary to create their own employment opportunities.

Afriansyah highlighted the importance of internship programs, describing them as a gateway to the professional world where students can apply theoretical knowledge, practice discipline, and learn teamwork. He also introduced the ‘Connect to Grow’ concept, an evolution of the ‘link and match’ approach, which aims to integrate education, training, certification, and the labor market.

To build Indonesia's talent pipeline, the Deputy Minister advocated for a ‘pentahelix’ collaboration involving the government, academia, the business sector, civil society, and the media.