Politap Launches Building Vocational Education from Villages

Director of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic) Endang Kusmana was invited as a speaker in a webinar on linking and matching vocational education with the industrial world organized by PT Sentra Vidya Utama (Sevima), an information technology consulting and development company based in Surabaya, on Tuesday, 4 August 2020. This discussion panel featured other speakers, namely Ari Wibowo, Director of Politeknik LPP Yogyakarta, discussing Link & Match between Politeknik LPP and the Plantation Industry, and Ari Novan Setiono, Head of IT at Pupuk Kaltim, discussing Facing the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Endang Kusmana, Director of Politap, delivered his presentation on the topic of building vocational education from villages, relating it to the condition of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang, which is located in Ketapang Regency and surrounded by palm oil and mining industries. Since these industries are all located in rural villages, linking and matching higher education with industry can be synergized with village development through enhancing human resources and boosting the village economy.

The idea begins with recruiting prospective students from villages surrounding the industries, followed by collaboratively designing the curriculum between the polytechnic and the industry. In addition to polytechnic lecturers, instructors also come from the industry, lectures are conducted through a dual system, and facilities and infrastructure are shared: campus study uses polytechnic facilities, while industrial training uses company facilities. Financing is supported by corporate CSR, and graduates are directly employed by the company. In addition to industries, villages also have Village-Owned Enterprises that can be empowered by higher education institutions.