The existence of vocational school in Indonesia dates back to the era before the country’s independence. Dedi Supriadi (2002) noted that “Sekolah Pertukangan” (a school for craftsman), established in Surabaya in 1853, could be the first vocational school in Indonesia. From the colonial era until today, vocational school in Indonesia has had a dynamic history.
During the early days of independence and up to the first Five-year Development Plan era, the problem lay mostly in providing infrastructure and facility. Later on it was the quality issues, and nowadays it’s about shifting from the “supply-driven” paradigm into a “demand-driven” approach, and the link and match system as well as the “Pendidikan Sistem Ganda” or commonly known as internship or apprenticeship program.
Referring to the Law No. 20 on National Education System in 2003, Technical and Vocational Education is defined as “an education to prepare students to be able to work in certain fields”. More specifically, the Government Regulation No. 19/2005 on National Education Standard, stated the target in secondary education: the technical and vocational education aims to develop students skill and capability for a certain job. Hence, technical and vocational eduication needs to have a close relationship with the business or industry.