**4. Graduate work readiness challenges in Indonesia**

The high rates of underemployment and problems in accessing the labor market is a persistent problem for Indonesian graduates [19] and points to a longer-term structural failure in the HE system in Indonesia. Reviews of graduates by international agencies found gaps in graduate attributes including critical thinking, communication and independent working competencies, leadership, team orientation, creativity, Englishlanguage fluency, and information technology skills [4]. Other work-ready deficiencies identified included personal integrity, intellectual capacity, teamwork, analysis, and problem-solving skills [44]. The OECD [5] identified weaknesses in literacy and numeracy, job flexibility, work sequencing, time management, and team working abilities. The literature review by Priyono and Nankervis [19] revealed that there is a growing mismatch between the skill and job demands of industry and the attributes and capabilities of new graduates. As a result graduate unemployment and underemployment exist alongside national skills shortages. In their review, Priyono and Nankervis [19] indicated that the graduate work skills gap was not confined to the problems of curriculum and education, but reflected an overall failure of integration and coordination between government ministries associated with education, employment, skills, and training; the weak communication processes across the key stakeholders, including industry, education, and national and provincial governments; and the need for greater flexibility, increased funding of training and education, and innovative pedagogies in educational institutions. The World Bank [4] identified the mismatch between program enrolments and the changing structure of the economy. The two largest programs were public administration and teaching, both linked to scholarship access; but the shares were out of line with the occupational composition of the economy.

The World Bank [4] commented further:

*"A certain degree of difficulty in finding qualified workers may be a sign of a healthy economy. As new and more evolved technologies are used (broadly defined to include not only physical production but also service provision), one expects employers to have a hard time finding workers who are ready for the new technologies. However, it may also be a sign that the education sector is not providing graduates with the right skills. The level of unemployment faced by higher education graduates, which is stubbornly high until the age of 35, maybe a sign of the latter. As the system expands so rapidly, it is important to ensure that the sector is preparing graduates for the labor market."*

Addressing graduate work readiness challenges cannot be the sole responsibility of universities; however, they do have a responsibility to graduates and the broader community to support an effective and fast transition into employment for those occupations for which graduates were educated. Internationalization is one

component of meeting this challenge since it embodies many of the necessary attributes that improve graduate employability. These attributes include having soft skills that include a world view, tolerance, multiculturalism, effective communication, and cross-cultural engagement [19].
