TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia’s National Internship Program Batch I was officially opened on Monday, October 20, 2025. Anwar Sanusi, the Head of Manpower Planning and Development Agency at the Ministry of Manpower, announced that there were 15,000 participants accepted in the first wave of this national internship program.
Anwar explained that since its opening on October 1, 2025, there has been a high level of enthusiasm for the program. Based on data from Barenbang Naker, 1,668 companies registered with a total proposal of 26,181 internship positions.
Out of that number, 20,457 positions were approved, and only 15,876 participants were declared eligible. According to Anwar, the remaining 5,000 internship participants will be announced on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
“We opened and provided companies the opportunity to conduct selections and interviews for two days, and we will announce them on Thursday,” said Anwar during the Opening of the National Graduates Internship Program Batch I at his office in Jakarta on Monday, October 20, 2025.
Anwar stated that the national internship positions are quite diverse. However, the majority are still dominated by sales and company administration positions. “Most of them are concentrated on entry-level sales and operational positions,” he said.
In addition, the highest internship quota in this first batch is still concentrated in Java, specifically Jakarta, West Java, and East Java. “This means that most internship opportunities are still centered in major city areas,” said Anwar.
The National Internship Program is part of the 8+4+5 economic stimulus package initiated by President Prabowo Subianto. Internship participants will receive an allowance equivalent to the minimum wage in the regency/city, which will be paid by the central government from the state budget.
The Minister of Manpower, Yassierli, stated that this program is specifically for university graduates who have graduated for more than a year. They will undergo a 6-month internship. It is hoped that the participants can gain working experience and be absorbed by the industry in the future.
“So, the internship participants will have experience, their curriculum vitae will be improved, and this can also enhance their competitiveness,” said Yassierli.
After the first batch of 20,000 participants is fulfilled, the government plans to open the national internship program for a second batch of 80,000 people. Registration for the second batch will be opened around mid-November 2025.
Thus, Yassierli continued, the total targeted internship participants for the year are 100,000. He also mentioned that the government plans to continue this paid national internship program until next year. “There were whispers earlier, Insha Allah, another 100,000 next year. And this will become a regular government program,” he said.
