In a workshop overlooking paddy fields on the eastern edge of Java, Dimas Firmansyah is tinkering away on a large truck engine. A lanky 18-year-old in a hard hat and work shirt, he hopes to find a job repairing coal machinery when he graduates in a few months. Thanks to his school¡¯s revamped curriculum and corporate partnerships, he almost certainly will.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto ¡ª who has advertised ambitious, industry-heavy growth goals for the coming years ¡ª needs many more Firmansyahs. Southeast Asia¡¯s most populous economy has the world¡¯s fourth-largest workforce, but more than a third of Indonesians over 15 have only a primary school education or less.
Vital vocational training, like this class some 640 kilometers east of Jakarta, too often falls short because of poor teaching and a dearth of basic equipment.
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