Future Talent Hub officially launched, bridging higher education and industry for Indonesia’s digital future

Youth skills gap remains a key bottleneck for Indonesia’s “Indonesia Emas 2045 (Golden 2045)” vision, where the country seeks to be among the world’s largest economies by the country’s 100th independence. To support the Government of Indonesia in addressing the youth skills gap, particularly in this promising digital era, Indonesian NGO Pijar Foundation, in partnership with Singapore-based Temasek Foundation, proudly announces the launch of the Future Talent Hub (FTH) programme.

To help Indonesia meet the projected demand of 9 million digitally skilled workers by 2030, the FTH programme empowers third-year university students with industry-aligned digital skills. Partnering with six universities under the Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama (UNU) network in its pilot batch in 2025, FTH enables participants to complement their academic studies with practical, industry-focused training and internship experiences.

To kickstart the initiative with great momentum, a vibrant kick-off event was held with the theme of “Top Talent for Indonesia 2045: Bridging Higher Education Institutions and Employers in the Digital Era”. The event was officially opened by Prof. Stella Christie, Ph.D., Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia and convened over 100 key stakeholders comprising government, academia, industry, and civil society — all united to set the stage for a transformative journey towards closing Indonesia's digital skills gap.

The FTH initiative has been warmly welcomed by the Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Prof. Brian Yuliarto, Ph.D. In his virtual address, Minister Brian highlighted FTH’s alignment with Asta Cita—the eight strategic missions set by President Prabowo Subianto to realise Indonesia Emas 2045. Prof. Brian Yuliarto, Ph.D., stated, “Higher education institutions are expected to deliver their best performance as engines of economic development by systematically exchanging knowledge with industry and government partners. Strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and the government is essential and must be reinforced.”

Prof. Stella Christie, Ph.D., Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, attended the FTH inauguration event as the keynote speaker. Vice Minister Stella emphasised the importance of transforming higher education in the era of digital industry development. “To create a technology-based industry, we must make higher education more strategic. There are two ways to achieve this: by fostering a research mindset and developing a specialised and adaptable workforce.” She further added, “Beyond merely meeting industry needs, we must also create demand through innovation emerging from higher education.” This aligns with the core essence of the Future Talent Hub (FTH) programme.

Ferro Ferizka Aryananda, Chairman of Pijar Foundation, underscored the importance of collaborations for Indonesia’s vision for progress, expressing, “Cross-sectoral collaboration is key to developing a talent ecosystem that is not only job-ready but also innovation-driven. We are proud to work in this endeavour with Temasek Foundation - Both organisations committed to a balanced training programme that incorporates global lessons learned but still rooted to the Indonesian context.”

Echoing this vision, Tan Shin Gee, Senior Director of Programmes, shared, “Digital skilling is key to equipping the next generation to meet the rapidly changing needs of the industry. This pilot, as part of Temasek Foundation’s efforts to support programmes that uplift lives and communities in Asia, aims to improve employability of learners by developing digital skills learning pathways aligned with industry needs. Through the partnership with Pijar Foundation, we hope that the pilot can be scaled up with more partners to benefit even more people.”

The launch event featured an insightful panel discussion, with distinguished speakers: Jay Singgih (Indonesia Young Entrepreneurs Association, HIPMI), Prof. Ainun Naim (Nahdlatul Ulama-affiliated University Association Network, LPTNU), and Achmad Adhitya, Ph.D, (Special Staff to the Vice President of The Republic of Indonesia). The session zoomed in on the multiplier effects of digital skills – how they are useful to spur efficiency and creativity in virtually every industry that Indonesia seeks to grow toward the Indonesia Emas 2045 vision.

The FTH programme will run its pilot batch in 2025 with six UNUs, with two comprehensive learning tracks: Digital Marketing and Product Management. In each batch, FTH learners will undertake three months of online bootcamps, followed by a capstone project and a practical internship experience with reputable institutions. Both foundations invite more stakeholders to collaborate in the FTH programme and create multiplier effects for the society.