Google helps Indonesia advance education on cloud, machine learning, and mobile development through Bangkit academy
Ray Fleming
Asia Pacific Program Manager for Higher Education
Indonesia is leading the way for digital transformation in Southeast Asia. According to Google’s e-Conomy South East Asia report, the country’s 2030 Gross Merchandise Value - the value of online retailing to consumers - could be twice the value of the whole of Southeast Asia today.
This growth means that many companies need more qualified IT graduates and employees with digital skills than they have today. Fast-growing tech companies need more qualified IT graduates, and employees with digital skills. According to the World Bank, Indonesia needs an additional nine million people with digital skills by 2030. The shortage of technical talent reiterates the need to invest in a reliable skills pipeline.
Following years of digital talent developments in Indonesia, Google has become a supporter of Bangkit, an academy designed to produce high-caliber technical talent for Indonesian technology companies and startups. Bangkit has facilitated a multi-stakeholder collaboration between Google, government, industry, and universities across Indonesia.
Last year, the President of Indonesia and the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research, and Technology, acknowledged Bangkit’s significant impact, with 3,000 students completing nearly 15,000 courses and specialisations.
Building on last year’s success, Bangkit started its 2022 program in February, offering three learning paths to students:
Cloud computing with Google Cloud, preparing students for the Google Associate Cloud Engineer certification. Some of the course components are also available online
Mobile development with Android, preparing students for the Google Associate Android Developer exam. An online version is available here.
Machine learning with Tensorflow, getting students ready to take the Tensorflow Developer certification. Some of the online courses are available here for others.
Bangkit 2022 has enrolled 3,100 university students who will take a five month study course, obtaining university study credit, as well as industry certifications. The program accepts diverse cohorts of people who are passionate about preparing for a tech career in the near future, with support and encouragement for women, people with disabilities, and students from across Indonesia to apply.
Since its pilot in 2019, Bangkit has been guided by three principles:
Industry-led: provides curriculum and instructors from industry experts, including Google, GoTo and Traveloka. Instructors include key figures such as Laurence Moroney (Google, Lead AI Advocate), Google Developer Experts, and other committed professionals.
Immersive: combines online learning methods conducted in both individual and group settings.
Interdisciplinary: contains knowledge and best practices in tech, soft skills, and English to provide complete career readiness.
The program runs from February to July 2022, and has a 900-hour curriculum throughout the 18-week learning experience.
Benefits for students participating in Bangkit include:
Study credit conversion
Job opportunities at our career fair
Google Cloud, TensorFlow and AAD exam vouchers
Incubation funds and mentorship support from industry
Towards the end of Bangkit 2022, students will team up for the Capstone Project challenge to propose solutions to some of the nation’s most pressing problems, such as environmentalism, accessibility, and more. The top 15 teams will be selected to receive funding to incubate their capstone projects. These education and career-preparedness offerings are provided at no cost.
Google is partnering with industry, governments, universities, and employers to help meet the skill demands of today. From supporting the State of Ohio to offer tech skills to residents, to working with the University of Minnesota-Rochester to create a customized health sciences degree program, Google is here to help our partners prepare those they serve for a cloud-first world.
