Politap Explores MSME and BUMDes Needs to Drive Lecturer and Student Innovation

In order to strengthen Politap Building Vocational Education from Villages, held at the Nevada Ballroom Ketapang, Thursday, 3 November 2020, Politeknik Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic) invited Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) to the Joint Commitment Signing event to support the Politap Building Vocational Education from Villages program. This activity was attended by 30 (thirty) micro and small business actors and Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes) in Ketapang, the Ketapang Regency Office of Cooperatives, SMEs, Industry, and Trade, Heads of Departments, and  Politap lecturers.

Endang Kusmana, Director of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang, stated in his opening remarks that this event was Politap's commitment to building vocational education from villages by absorbing the aspirations of MSME and BUMDes actors to drive innovation among lecturers and students. According to him, Politap will focus more on product innovation tailored to the needs and demands of MSMEs and BUMDes. Endang hoped that lecturer and student innovation would boost the productivity of MSMEs and BUMDes in running their businesses.

This event featured four speakers: Adha Panca Wardhana (Agroindustry lecturer), who shared information on intellectual property rights protection procedures for products produced by MSMEs and BUMDes through the Intellectual Property Center at Politeknik Negeri Ketapang, stating that products from MSMEs and BUMDes in Ketapang need legal protection. Meanwhile,  Irfan Chalid (Agroindustry lecturer) as the second speaker conveyed the importance of a Big Concept strategy in doing business through licensing, financial, and marketing strategies, encouraging the use of information technology to reach today's market.

The third speaker, Yusuf (Machine Maintenance lecturer), presented innovative products from the Department of Mechanical Engineering related to the application of appropriate technology to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in business operations, while the fourth speaker, Sugiarto from the Ketapang Regency Office of Cooperatives, SMEs, Industry, and Trade, shared information regarding opportunities for MSMEs and BUMDes to access assistance and market their products through national franchises in Ketapang.

The joint commitment signing between MSMEs and BUMDes to support Politap Building Vocational Education from Villages was attended by 30 business actors across two districts, namely Delta Pawan District and Muara Pawan District, with business backgrounds ranging from the fish cracker industry, cocopeat production, milkfish sticks, cakes and cookies, egg flower crafts, tailoring, meatball vendors, jenurai snacks, organic fertilizer businesses, amplang crackers, spinach peyek, catfish breeding, catfish farming, fish meal production, to livestock breeders and traditional food vendors.

Martanto, Head of the Cooperation Working Group, conveyed that this activity is an ongoing work program. According to him, his team was previously involved in the village empowerment team, and for 2021  Politap will conduct a roadshow across several districts so that industrial centers in Ketapang will grow. Politap will empower students and alumni coming from villages across 253 villages in Ketapang Regency. Martanto added that his team will collaborate with industry so that MSMEs and BUMDes can grow synergistically.