Skill Our Future: AI and Digital Skills Hub Launches in West Sulawesi to Empower Youth for the Digital Economy
On 5 May 2026, Skill Our Future brought its AI and Digital Skills Hub to West Sulawesi, bringing together university students, government officials, private sector representatives, and educators to expand access to digital and AI skills training for young Indonesians beyond the country's major cities.
MAJENE, West Sulawesi — On 5 May 2026, the AI and Digital Skills Hub was officially launched at Universitas Sulawesi Barat (Unsulbar), in collaboration with the local Majene government, under Skill Our Future, a flagship initiative of the Youth Digitalization for Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme (YDEEP), led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The event brought together over 250 participants from higher education institutions, government agencies, the private sector, and youth communities, contributing to broader efforts to strengthen digital skills development among young people in eastern Indonesia.
Indonesia's digital economy is growing rapidly, yet access to the skills that drive it remains uneven. According to national data, more than a quarter of Indonesian youth are currently not in employment, education, or training—a gap that is often deepest in provinces outside the country's major cities. With the Indonesian government targeting nine million digital talents by 2030, the need to expand quality digital education beyond Java has never been more urgent. Supported by IsDB, Skill Our Future aims to address this by equipping young people, including those from underserved communities, with the digital and AI skills they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
“Through the Hub, students, civil servants and educators will strengthen practical skills in areas such as project management, data processing and responsible use of AI,” said Randa Sandhita, Focal Point for Youth Empowerment Initiative, UNDP Indonesia. “These capabilities can help expand access to opportunities, support more data-informed public services and ensure that young people in West Sulawesi are better prepared to participate in the digital economy.”
The AI and Digital Skills Hub is a collaborative learning space hosted on the Unsulbar campus, designed to equip young people, educators and civil servants with practical digital and AI skills through bootcamps, hands-on workshops and online training supported by mentoring from industry practitioners.
Participants can join one of three learning tracks:
Youth and university students: Employability and digital career readiness, covering AI tools, data literacy, entrepreneurship and digital productivity;
Civil servants: Digital governance and data-driven public service delivery;
Lecturers and educators: Integrating AI and digital literacy into university teaching and curriculum design.
The event also featured a panel discussion with Randa Sandhita, Youth Focal Point, UNDP Indonesia, Shalahuddin from Pandu Literasi Digital, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), and Furqon Ramadani, Head of Telkom Regional Majene, on the opportunities and challenges facing young people in the digital age, including responsible AI use, misinformation and the growing importance of digital skills for future employment.
"Our responsibility is to ensure this transformation benefits the whole campus, not just in technology programmes, but in every discipline,” said Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdy, S.Si., M.Si., Rector, Universitas Sulawesi Barat. “We want to nurture graduates who are digitally literate, adaptive and able to use AI ethically, while continuing to foster creativity and innovation."
West Sulawesi is the first province to establish a Digital and AI Skills Hub as YDEEP expands across Indonesia, with a vision to co-develop more hubs that strengthen digital talent development and future workforce readiness through local partnerships. Through the initiative, more than 4,000 students across the country have been supported in developing digital and future-oriented skills.
About the Youth Digitalization for Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme
The Youth Digitalization for Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme (YDEEP), in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), aims to bridge the digital divide by empowering underserved youth across the Asia-Pacific with essential digital and 21st-century skills. The programme equips young people for the evolving job market by offering capacity-building opportunities and fostering an innovation-driven ecosystem that supports partnerships and sustainable development. Through YDEEP, young people gain access to opportunities that enhance their employability and entrepreneurial potential, fostering their growth as leaders and active global citizens.
About the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is a multilateral development bank (MDB) dedicated to improving lives and advancing social and economic development in its Member countries and Muslim communities worldwide. Its work puts people at the heart of development, translating this commitment into impact at scale. Learn more at https://www.isdb.org/.
About UNDP
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with a broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at www.undp.org/indonesia or follow @UNDPIndonesia.
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