Contruction Workers Must Be Certified To Face AEC

Jakarta, Sept 9 (Antara) - The certification for construction workers is a necessary step towards facing the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, noted Vice Minister of Public Works Hermanto Dardak. "All construction workers must be ready to welcome the AEC, which will be implemented next year," he remarked here on Tuesday. Currently, there are 6.9 million construction workers in Indonesia, of which only 10 percent are certified. This condition is a serious concern for the government and the construction service agencies that are authorized to issue certificates to the construction workers. In the workshop themed "Indonesian Employment Opportunities Towards the Era of the ASEAN Economic Community", the vice minister noted that all construction workers must utilize the remaining time to clear the competency tests and get certified. "There are still a few months before the AEC is implemented. The construction workers can take advantage of this opportunity," Hermanto stated. Head of Construction Coaching Board, the Ministry of Public Works, Hediyanto Husaini remarked that the construction competition organized by the institution had 170 participants from 22 provinces. The competition aimed to improve the competence level of the construction workers. The participants competed in eight different fields such as stone construction, electrical installation, measurement, plumbing installation, road works foreman, building works foreman, excavator operators, and scaffolding installation. "This initiative is expected to help the construction workers in improving their skills and sharing best practices and experiences with other workers from other regions," Hediyanto pointed out.