The Empowerment Strategy of the City Poor Women Based on Non- Formal Education in the City of Semarang

Abstract

This research is done to scrutinize the effort to empower poor women of Semarang to work according to market needs. The poverty of Semarang in March 2017 was 80 thousand people (4.62%), while in 2018 it was reduced to 73 thousand (4.41%). The International Labor Organization (ILO) states that employment in cities continues to be very low because poor people and women in cities are “rarely unemployed”. Empowerment through this non-formal education strategy is right on target, both in the industrial world and in the business world. This study was carried out following the Grinnell and Creswell development model. The results of the study included the domain of education and training strategies based on market needs (pathways and machines) in the non-formal education pathway for the poor in Semarang. After getting an education and training following the right strategy, it is hoped that students will be able to have the skills to then earn a living while simultaneously improving their economy. The results showed that out of 40 participants, 97.5% had successfully graduated, 87.5% got a job, and showed strategies for women's empowerment towards education, training, job opportunities, and business opportunities. The conclusion is that empowerment through education and training has succeeded in supporting the poor, especially women who initially did not have the skills to have skills and could be directly used or self-employed according to their needs.