Politap Collaborates with PUPR Construction Services Center to Strengthen Civil Engineering Graduates' Competencies

Taking place at Hotel Orchad Pontianak on Friday, 19 February 2021, the Director of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic) signed a Cooperation Agreement with  Region V Banjarmasin Construction Services Center of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing of the Republic of Indonesia to provide Additional Competencies and Competency Certification for Graduates and Prospective Graduates of the Department of Civil Engineering of Politeknik  Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic).

The signing of this Cooperation Agreement was part of a series of dissemination activities following up on  Circular Letter of the Director General of Construction Development Number: 129/SE/Dk/2020 concerning the Provision of Additional Competencies and Competency Certification for Graduates and Prospective Graduates of Vocational High Schools (SMK), Polytechnics, and/or Higher Education Institutions in the Construction Sector organized by Region V Banjarmasin Construction Services Center of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) for the Kalimantan region, particularly West Kalimantan, in Pontianak on 18–20 February 2021.

This activity aimed to reach agreements with SMKs, polytechnics, and/or higher education institutions on recommending teaching staff as prospective instructors and including their prospective graduates and graduates in this program. The activity in West Kalimantan was attended by Politap, Polnep, Untan, UPB, and 12 SMKs in West Kalimantan.

The Head of Region V Banjarmasin Construction Services Center of the Ministry of PUPR, Ir.Moody Nicson Sanger, M.Sc, stated in his remarks that the stages of providing additional competencies would be carried out through several stages: submission of prospective participants, verification of requirements for prospective participants, summoning of participants and instructors, training implementation, post-test, and certificate issuance. The Head of the Center further added that following the signing of this Cooperation Agreement, starting in March 2021, the program would continue with a TOT refresher for prospective  instructors, followed by the provision of additional competencies and competency certificates for Politap graduates and prospective graduates.

The Director of Politap appreciated the commitment of Region V Banjarmasin Construction Services Center of the Ministry of PUPR to enhancing the competence of civil engineering graduates, particularly at Politeknik Negeri Ketapang. According to Endang, this was the second year of collaboration between the Center and Politap, making an impact on strengthening the quality of Politap graduates while also fostering the quality of  infrastructure development.

Meanwhile, Julyan Purnomo, Study Program Coordinator for Civil Engineering at Politap, who accompanied the Director in this event, expressed his study program's readiness for this program. His team had prepared 2 prospective instructors as well as graduates and prospective graduates who had not yet been certified. In the first year of collaboration conducted in November 2019, his program had certified 220 civil engineering graduates and students across 4 schemes, namely  the bridge field work executor scheme for third-semester students, the bridge field work supervisor scheme for fifth-semester students, the road field  work executor scheme for seventh-semester students, and  the road field work supervisor scheme for alumni.