Revitalizing Vocational Education in Indonesia: Implementation of Link and Match Program and Its Impact on the Graduates Quality

Abstract

Vocational education in Indonesia faces ongoing challenges in aligning the competencies of vocational high school graduates with industry requirements, highlighting a persistent gap between policy formulation and practical implementation. This study investigates the implementation of link-and-match-based vocational education revitalization and its effects on the quality of vocational high school graduates. A qualitative narrative literature review and policy document analysis were conducted using 20 sources, including 14 scholarly articles and six official documents, four of which are Indonesian vocational policy documents. Sources were identified through searches of scholarly databases and official repositories, and were screened for relevance to vocational policy implementation, school–industry partnerships, regulatory governance, and graduate outcomes. Data analysis employed thematic policy analysis and cross-source synthesis, involving data reduction, thematic categorization, interpretation using Edwards III’s policy implementation framework, and synthesis across sources. The analysis indicates a shift from SMK-specific revitalization toward an integrated vocational governance framework encompassing labor-market planning, competency alignment, work-based learning, quality assurance, coordination, and funding. Nevertheless, implementation remains inconsistent due to variations in policy communication, practical facilities, teacher competence, institutional resources, industry access, stakeholder commitment, and bureaucratic coordination. Link and match is found to enhance graduates’ technical competencies, non-technical skills, and work readiness more effectively when school–industry partnerships are structured, sustained, and integrated into curriculum development, instruction, assessment, and recruitment. This study advances the conceptualization of link and match as a multidimensional policy implementation process that requires coordinated support from the entire vocational education ecosystem, rather than merely curriculum alignment or administrative cooperation.