Indonesia has taken another big step in helping its citizens find safe and legal work abroad, as the government sent 40 newly trained spa therapists to the Maldives. The deployment happened on Thursday and is part of a wider national effort to improve formal overseas job opportunities and give better protection to migrant workers.
According to Minister Mukhtarudin of P2MI, the workers had just finished a full one-month training program in Bali. The training focused on spa therapy, body treatment, and general wellness services. The workers were carefully prepared so they could fit into the international spa industry, especially in popular tourist destinations like the Maldives.
Their training was completely funded by the Indonesian government. At the Denpasar Industrial Training Center (BDI), they learned advanced massage skills, relaxation techniques, aromatherapy mixing, and physical and mental wellness methods. The aim was to give them strong professional skills that match global standards in the spa and wellness sector.
Deputy Minister Christina Aryani explained that the program is also a pilot project for the future. She said similar training programs will be carried out in other parts of Indonesia. This effort was made possible through cooperation between several institutions, including the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Manpower, and different certified job-training centers working with the government.
Aryani also shared that the same training model can be used by BP3MI regional offices to open more opportunities for Indonesians who want to work abroad. The goal is to create a skilled workforce that can easily secure better-paying and legal jobs overseas.
The head of BP3MI Bali, Anak Agung Gde Indra Hardiawan, said the 40 workers were divided into two groups. Twenty were trained for advanced therapy jobs, while the other twenty were preparing for their very first spa contract. Many of the trainees were women from different provinces like Bali, East Java, Central Java, East Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi.
Out of the advanced group, eight have already received job offers from well-known hotels in the Maldives and will start work in December. The rest of the workers will follow in stages from March 2026. Hardiawan added that, beyond the Maldives, Indonesia is also looking at opportunities in Turkey for skilled spa workers through licensed recruitment companies.
One of the trainees, Felicia Patricia from South Sulawesi, said she learned Balinese massage, body scrubs, facial treatments, and the traditional boreh (a herbal body treatment using spices). She said she is ready to take a two-year contract in the Maldives and hopes the job will help support her family.
The ministry reminded all Indonesians who want to work overseas to always check the official information portal at siskop2mi.bp2mi.go.id so they can avoid illegal agents and follow proper procedures for safe migration.