Jakarta, August 1, 2026 – Deputy Minister of Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Irene Umar, expressed her support for the development of young creative talents with an entrepreneurial mindset, as demonstrated during the culmination of the Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI) program. Since 2011, PJI has equipped more than two million young Indonesians with workplace skills, financial literacy, and the ability to build sustainable businesses.
Deputy Minister of Creative Economy/Deputy Head of the Creative Economy Agency, Irene Umar, delivers remarks at the culmination of the Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI) program at Senayan Park, Jakarta, on Saturday (August 1, 2026).
"To become a developed nation, Indonesia needs around 10 to 12 percent entrepreneurs. According to the World Bank, we need to reach at least 4 percent as a starting point. At present, we are still slightly below that figure. However, entrepreneurship is not merely about owning a company. An entrepreneurial mindset is about having a sense of ownership, responsibility, and carrying out every task with a clear purpose," said Irene Umar during the event held at Senayan Park, Jakarta, on Saturday (August 1).
PJI is part of JA Worldwide, a global nonprofit organization focused on entrepreneurship education. This year's program saw 45 teams compete, with nine senior high school and vocational high school teams selected as finalists. The two best-performing teams will represent Indonesia at the Asia-Pacific entrepreneurship competition.
Photo by Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
Chairman of the Executive Board of PJI, Pribadi Setiyanto, explained that all PJI programs are developed through an experiential learning approach that provides participants with hands-on experience. In addition, PJI connects participants with mentors and volunteers from the business community, ensuring that the learning experience remains relevant to the needs of today's workforce.
According to Pribadi, the flagship Student Company program provides senior high school and vocational high school students with the opportunity to establish and manage their own businesses. Through the program, participants not only learn how to develop products but also how to build business models, lead teams, manage finances, understand customers, and address real-world business challenges.
"Over the past 20 years in Indonesia, the Student Company program has reached more than 18,000 students and produced 845 student-run businesses. For the 2025–2026 period, participants' business ideas are focused on four strategic issues: the circular economy, healthy lifestyles, climate change, and local heritage," said Pribadi.
Photo by Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency.
The Ministry of Creative Economy views the strengthening of entrepreneurship from an early age as a crucial foundation for building a sustainable creative economy ecosystem. Through collaboration with various stakeholders, the Ministry hopes to cultivate more young talents capable of driving innovation, creating employment opportunities, and transforming Indonesia's intellectual property into value-added products with global competitiveness.
Also attending the event were Country Manager of Zurich Indonesia Edhi Tjahja Negara; Chief of Human Resources, Brand & Communication of Zurich Asuransi Indonesia Tini Nurianto; Chief Financial Officer of Zurich Topas Life Aswan Jaya; Senior General Manager of Corporate Communications at PT Sari Coffee Indonesia (Starbucks Indonesia) Avolina Raharjanti; PJI Co-Founder & Operations Counsel Robert Gardiner; and PJI Executive Director Utami Anita Herawati.
The Deputy Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by Director of Culinary Romi Astuti.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency
