Indonesia
English
Adopting the theme “Synergy of Vocational Education, Local Government, and Industry in Building Qualified Human Resource Competencies for National Competitiveness,” Politeknik Negeri Ketapang (Ketapang State Polytechnic) held an Industrial Seminar on Wednesday, 26 September 2018 at the Ketapang Regency Regent's Hall. This seminar was the result of a collaboration between Politeknik Negeri Ketapang and the Regional Government of Ketapang Regency.
Chairman of the Industrial Seminar committee, Normansyah, ST., MT., stated that the organization of this industrial seminar was expected to serve as a platform for sharing information about the current industrial era. He also reported that around 200 participants attended, representing the plantation industry, MSMEs, institutions, and academics.
The Regent of Ketapang Regency, Martin Rantan, S.H, M.Sos, in his remarks stated the need for elevating human resource quality. Lecturers and students are expected to be able to adapt to changes. The Regent also hoped for support from companies/industries in Ketapang Regency to contribute to education, specifically by providing scholarships to students to enhance human resource quality.
“In 2017, PT. Ketapang Industrial Park (KIP) provided scholarships for students to study in Shouzou, China. In 2018, they will also send more students there. I hope other companies will also kindly provide scholarships for our students. If my words are ignored, I will summon the Legal Division to draft a regional regulation regarding this. So companies that have made profits on Ketapang soil shouldn't just take without giving back,” he said with a laugh.
The Industrial Seminar was opened by the Director of Politeknik Negeri Ketapang, Dr. Ir. Hj. Nurmala, MM. In her remarks, she stated that the role of industry in implementing vocational education is still minimal. To further enhance the relevance of higher education with the demands of the workplace and industry, the volume of vocational education must be increased and industrial involvement intensified.
Increasing the relevance of higher education to support economic growth cannot be achieved by higher education institutions alone; such efforts require collaboration between higher education institutions, research institutions, various government units, the workplace and industry, as well as other stakeholders.
“In this regard, academics must not stop after merely producing publications, prototypes, or patents, but must continue until reaching technology readiness level (TRL) 9 (nine) and then partner with industry so it can be mass-produced and marketed,” stated the Director.
The Director hoped that cooperation between higher education institutions and industry players would be further optimized, requiring more systemic, integrated, intensive, and sustainable efforts to produce graduates or prospective workers with competencies matching industrial needs.
“WHW has recruited workers from Politeknik Negeri Ketapang alumni three times, and PT KIP currently still requires 6,000 workers from various educational backgrounds. This means that higher education institutions and industry players must cooperate even more optimally to cultivate competent human resources that meet these needs,” stated the Director.
Also present at the seminar was Ir. Hari Purwanto, M.Sc., DIC, Senior Advisor for Infrastructure Affairs at Kemenristekdikti. On this occasion, he conveyed the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education's hope that industries in Ketapang can help improve human resources over the next 5 to 10 years.
The event continued with presentations from industry representatives, namely PT Ketapang Ecology Agriculture Forestry Industrial Park (KIP) under PT BSM and PT Well Harvest Winning (WHW). Following the presentations, a Q&A session was held to foster an exchange of knowledge, insights, and broader discourse between participants and speakers.
Following the conclusion of the seminar, participants conducted an industrial visit to PT BSM. This industrial visit was expected to provide insights into the current state of industry in Ketapang Regency. (AS/V)