As one of the primary advocates for resolving job issues, the efficacy of Job Training Centers (BLK) is debatable in light of the final outcomes. First, given the numerous instances of BLKs appearing to engage in exclusively normative activities—namely, training—this concern arises. Normative training alone is not enough to meet the demand for workforce competency; in order to produce high-quality training participants who can operate their own businesses or find employment that matches their skill set, it is also necessary to provide adequate infrastructure, funding, and support from all relevant parties.

Based on this philosophy and spirit, SurveyMETER is conducting studies on job training centers or skills development with funding from the World Bank. The implementation of this study is also motivated by the need for more comprehensive data about the state of the BLK, including its infrastructure, management, budget, and administration as well as its teaching capabilities and capacity to develop staff with specialized knowledge. The study aims to depict this figure, which will be helpful to the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration as well as other organizations that are interested in the expansion and advancement of Job Training Centers in Indonesia.

Basically, this is an attempt to get a fundamental understanding of Indonesian Job Training Centers, from administration to the role of carrying out the activities carried out. Infrastructure, training methods, facilities, instructor caliber, and the capacity to work with partners outside the BLK are all included in this. In order to conduct an evaluation, it is necessary to determine how well the Job Training Center is being implemented, what challenges are being faced, and what steps can be taken to strengthen and enhance the management of the Job Training Center in order to enhance its quality and functionality.

In particular, this study will examine several subjects, including the Manpower Service Policy, BLK Heads' capacity for managing BLK, how BLK secondary data is presented, private BLK administration and model of management, Details on UPTP as a work training facility for Central government management representatives, Details on private BLKs, particularly the quantity of private BLKs; also, the number of opened vocations and the number of participants for each vocation.

This study was carried out in 33 provinces, with four different types of samples being interviewed: private BLKs, provincial UPT BLKs representing provincial government management, central BLKs representing central government management as the Central Technical Implementation Unit (UPTP) is a representative of the Central Government management, and regency/city UPTD BLKs representing the Regency/City Government management. There were eleven UPTPs in the UPTP sample, 33 in the Provincial UPT sample, and 72 in the Regency/City sample. Interviews were conducted with a random sample of private BLKs in each BLK. The methodology for collecting data involved conducting visits (observations) and interviews with respondents, who were categorized as coming from the government-run and private Job Training Centers and the Manpower Department.

From November to December 2010, field data were collected for this investigation. The preceding stages of this study were: October 25 for the pilot test survey; November 10–12 for the pretest at the Central Lombok Manpower and Transmigration Service, NTB Province, and Central Lombok LLK; November 14–16 for the training of trainers (ToT); and November 18–24 for field assistant training at the Grand Wahid Hotel Salatiga. [DA/JF]