BANDUNG (ILO News): Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia, Mr Peter van Rooij, conducted an informal meeting with the Governor of West Java, Mr Ahmad Heryawan, on 28 October 2010 in the Pakuan State-owned Building, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of the West Java Confederation of All Indonesian Workers (KSPSI), Mr Agus Salide and the Chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Workers’ Association (SPTI) Bandung, Mr Ana Sumarna. The meeting discussed possible joint programmes and activities to promote entrepreneurship in West Java.

In the meeting, Mr van Rooij explained the pilot programme of the ILO in collaboration with KSPI West Java and SPTI Bandung to improve the capacities of transportation workers and their families in financial and business management. The programme is also aimed to support informal economy workers as well as workers employed in micro, small and medium enterprises.

The activities under this pilot programme, added Mr van Rooij, focused on the empowerment of workers and their families through entrepreneurship and financial education as an effort to promote entrepreneurship. “Through this programme, it is hoped that workers and their families will have the abilities to start their own business and open jobs for others,” he said.

Governor Herwayan said that he greatly welcome the implementation of the pilot programme with the unions in West Java. “I hope that this programme will open more job opportunities as an effort to contribute to solving the unemployment. This pilot programme plays an important role in setting-up a model that can be replicated later on,” he said.

The Province of West Java, stated the Governor, has the largest number of workers in Indonesia. “Solving the unemployment problem in this province also equals to solve one-fifth of the national unemployment problem,” he said, adding that the Province of West Java has successfully created and opened more than one million job opportunities to date.

The first workshop of the pilot programme was conducted from 29 – 31 October in Bandung. The workshop concluded with the establishment of a Business Development Institution for SPTI, an entrepreneurship proposal for SPTI members and their families and the improvement of the SPTI cooperative.

For further information please contact:

Tendy Gunawan
National Programme Coordinator of the ILO’s Enterprise Development
ILO-Jakarta Office
Tel.: +62 21 3913112 ext. 142
Email

Gita Lingga
Media Officer
ILO-Jakarta Office
Tel.: +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Email