PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

The polymer industry, which plays an important role in Indonesian manufacturing, requires a more-skilled workforce to sustain its competitiveness. Despite its importance today and the potential for future economic growth, there is no adequate information for polymer education in Indonesia. This present article provides an overview of the education in the field of polymer engineering related to the current profile of the industry. Literature research on plastics-industry-related statistics has been developed in order to give an indication of what polymer education will need to meet the future challenges in the Indonesian plastics industry. It then discusses the current practices of polymer-related curricula implemented not only at university but at vocational and training institutions. A gap analysis was performed to identify the mismatch between the current education practices and demands of the labour market. It is expected that this paper will provide an opportunity to consider expanding current courses to include programmes relevant to the polymer industry.