Astra International held a groundbreaking for its new Polytechnic Manufacturing (Polman) campus at the Delta Silicon II industrial estate in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. The campus is expected to contribute to Indonesia鈥檚 goal of improving its workforce via better vocational education programs. The vocational education programs at Polman Astra itself was developed in cooperation with EKONID.
On Friday, May 10, Astra International held a ceremony to celebrate the groundbreaking of its new Polman Astra campus at the Delta Silicon II industrial estate in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. The honored participants of the event include President Director of Astra International and Chairman of EKONID鈥檚 Board of Management Mr. Prijono Sugiarto; Director of Polman Astra Mr. Tony Harvey Silalahi; the Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mr. Mohamad Nasir; the Indonesian Minister of Industry Mr. Airlangga Hartarto; as well as Head of the Training and Education Dept. at EKONID, Mr. Hardy Hoffmann.
The groundbreaking is regarded as a momentous occasion not only for Astra International and EKONID, but also for the Indonesian government as it is expected to contribute to Indonesia鈥檚 goal of improving its workforce through better vocational education programs. The campus is slated to cover an area of five hectares, out of which 47,000 sqm was designated for various educational facilities such as a study area, laboratories, workshops and a teaching factory, as well as a dorm for new students. The new campus is an expansion of the current Polman Astra campus located in Sunter, North Jakarta.
In his opening speech, Mr. Sugiarto hoped that the new Polman Astra campus at Delta Silicon II industrial estate would be able to develop better program portfolios and study program, as well as programs for competence certifications, such as Astra鈥檚 Automotive Meister course that has since become the first and only German Meister certification program in Southeast Asia.
Initiated in 2017, the German Meister further training program started in April 2019 at ASTRA Manufacturing Polytechnic (Polman) as a 1-year certified course done in accordance with the standards and principles of the German Meister training system. Having elaborated the appropriate curriculum with the school, EKONID and ASTRA consequently has followed through the programs up until now. The graduates of the program will be installed as Workshop Heads in order to improve the quality of ASTRA Services.
In addition, EKONID also runs three Automotive Mechatronic classes with Polman Astra according to the German Dual Vocational System. Initiated in 2016, the 2.5-year dual vocational education program prepares students for the profession of automotive mechatronic with Polman Astra as vocational school for the theoritical part (40%) and PT Astra International Tbk. As partner realizing the practical part (60%) of the course.
鈥淲ith this new 5 hectare land, we are targetting to have 10 times the number of students that we currently have, which is 571 students. I expect that, by the second operational year of this new campus, we would have at least 2,000 students,鈥� Mr. Sugiarto said. The Indonesian Minister of Industry Mr. Hartarto expressed his appreciation for the expansion of Polman Astra鈥檚 new campus ground, further hoping that the new campus would be able to support the government鈥檚 initiative of improving Indonesia鈥檚 workforce.
鈥淎s has been stated by President Joko Widodo, our national development is now oriented towards developing the quality of our workforce. It is thus necessary for us to have various education programs and to enlarge our vocational education training capacity. I hope that what Astra has done would be replicated by other industries and so we can expect the emergence of other polytechnic schools in order to meet the demand for skilled workers,鈥� Mr. Hartarto said.
The Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mr. Nasir said the development of the country鈥檚 vocational education programs was reliant upon the involvement of the private sector, further expressing his readiness to support other companies that would be willing to supply vocational education to young Indonesians across the nation.
鈥淭here are currently at least 500 major companies with the potential of building vocational education centers. If each of these company is willing to commit to that, Indonesia鈥檚 goal of meeting the demand for skilled workers will be achieved,鈥� Mr. Nasir said.