In order to  fulfill the needs of qualified human resources for the business and industrial world, BIOTROP held an interactive talkshow with theme: “The Role of Business and Industrial World in Strengthening Vocational Schools”.  The talkshow was held on 28 January 2021 in BIOTROP campus in Bogor.  This event was participated by 342 online participants and 25 offline participants.  

Ir Hendarman, MSc, PhD, the Acting Head of Cooperation and Public Relation Bureau (BKHM) of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic Indonesia delivered his remarks and stated that many changes need to be carried out due to the Covid-19 pandemi, including transforming the vocational education.  He further stated that vocational education will not run without the collaboration and support from the business and industrial world (DUDI).  In facing the current challenges, it is clear that vocational schools is at the front line to produce qualified human resources to elevate Indonesia’s economic status and existence worldwide, with food security and food sovereignty as the focal point.

Dr Zulhamsyah Imran, the Director of SEAMEO BIOTROP and a permanent lecturer in the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences of Institut  Pertanian Bogor, stated that vocational education is one of  the focal points of SEAMEO BIOTROP programs.  Several BIOTROP’s programs, such as SMARTS-BE, School Garden and Food Security involved more than 80 vocational schools from across Indonesia.  As Community Learning Center, BIOTROP facilitated more than 300 students per year to join the internship program.  To keep running the educational activities, BIOTROP prepared various educational videos for virtual education purposes.  The making of educational videos will still be in BIOTROP to-do-list for the year 2021 and on.  Dr Imran also emphasized the importance of this talkshow to embrace the support from the business and industrial world, in implementing research results and developing educational strategy through collaborations. 

The talkshow discussed many avenues that can elevate the capacities of vocational schools to synergize as well as to link and match the schools with the needs of qualified human resources in the business and industrial world.  Four resource persons were invited to share their expert opinions, i.e., Dr Ahmad Saufi, SSi, MSi (Director of Partnership and Alignment of Business and Industrial World, Directorate General of Vocational Education, the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia), Dr Arief Daryanto (Dean of Vocational School, IPB University), Mr Welly Soegiono (Corporate Affairs Director, PT Great Giant Pineapple), and Mr Rachmat Hidayat (Head of Public Policy and Inter-Institutional Relations of GAPMMI-Association of Indonesian Food and Beverage Entrepreneurs-Gabungan Pengusaha Makanan dan Minuman Seluruh Indonesia). The expected output of this event is to support and encourage vocational schools to produce qualified graduates, in terms of having high professionalism, broad knowledge, high skills, and high work ethic in accordance with the needs of business and industrial world.

Summary of  the interactive talkshow was presented by Dr Perdinan, SEAMEO BIOTROP Deputy Director for Administration and also a permanent lecturer of the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Pertanian Bogor.  The summary was presented as follows:

(rf/sis)