As the largest archipelago with a manageable sea area of 5.8 million km2, the maritime sector is very strategic for Indonesia. However, so far the sector has not received serious attention when compared to the land sector. The “Maritime Axis” and “Sea Toll” policies are still a hope that must soon be realised and become a concern of both the Government, Industry and Universities that have concerns in the context of the development of the fisheries and marine sector that is useful and provides benefits for the welfare of the people.

In terms of marine/maritime economy, there are 11 economic sectors that need to be prioritised:

Capture fisheries, aquaculture, fishery product processing industry, marine bio-technology industry, mining and energy (ESDM), marine tourism, mangrove forests, sea transportation, small island resources, maritime industry and services, and non-conventional natural resources.

The total potential economic value of the eleven sectors to the Indonesian oceans is estimated at 1.33 trillion US dollars / year or 1.3 times Indonesia’s current GDP or 7 times the 2017 state budget. Moreover, the potential employment that can be generated from the 11 marine sectors is around 45 million people or 35% of the total Indonesian labour force (126 million people, aged between 15 and 64 years).

Meanwhile, the level of utilisation (development) of Indonesia’s marine economy is estimated to be only around 25% of its total potential. In other words, the opportunity to develop (room for expansion) the marine economy for the progress and welfare of the true nation is still very large.

On the other hand, with the rolling of the industrial revolution 4.0 and the formation of society 5.0, there are changing trends in the higher education sector, namely: Democratisation of Knowledge and Access, Market Competition and Funding, Global Mobility, Integration with Industry and Digital Technology.

The five factors that trigger these changes result in the need to align the education system organised with the needs of the world of work and focus on skills / professionalism. Universities as Higher Education institutions need to immediately make changes by increasing cooperation with the world of work / industry, directing students to fast-growing employment sectors, focusing on digital skills and developing specific human skills, eliminating gender gaps in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), strengthening soft skills and field experience. This trend change is further accelerated by the current Covid-19 pandemic which requires the implementation of social distancing and health protocols.

The impact is a decrease in health levels, slowing productivity and loss of employment are the biggest factors in the recession and decline in community welfare and productivity. It is an obligation for every academic, government apparatus, industry and field practitioners to jointly make various innovations to accelerate the improvement of the competitiveness of the fisheries sector in the Covid-19 era. The Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Universitas Airlangga is committed to taking an active role in creating various efforts to accelerate the competitiveness of human resources in the fisheries and marine sector that are professional, resilient and have benefits to build a prosperous and dignified Indonesian society.