Nanning, China – On September 15 2023 in the afternoon at Guangxi Polytechnic of Construction, the opening ceremony of the "China-Indonesia TVET Innovative Development Forum on Industry-Education Integration" was officially opened. Apart from the 8 polytechnics who attended on-side, this event was also attended by 41 state polytechnics in Indonesia online. This event is an integral part of the series of events "2023 China-ASEAN Vocational Education Exhibition and Forum" which is also a "side event" of the China-ASEAN EXPO which will take place in the city of Nanning, Guangxi-China on 15-16 September 2023.
One of the important moments in this event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving 10 departments in 6 different categories between the Indonesian Polytechnic and Chinese universities, namely:
- Mechatronics, Automation, and International Business Management between Liuzhou Vocational College and Jember State Polytechnic, Semarang State Polytechnic, Bandung Manufacturing Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Batam State Polytechnic, Jakarta State Polytechnic, and Bali State Polytechnic.
- Machinery Manufacturing with Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute with Semarang State Polytechnic, Bandung Manufacturing Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Batam State Polytechnic, and Jakarta State Polytechnic.
- Information Technology with Chongqing College of Electronic Engineering with Semarang State Polytechnic, Bandung Manufacturing Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Batam State Polytechnic, and Jakarta State Polytechnic.
- Renewable Energy with Zhengzhou Electric Power College with Semarang State Polytechnic, Bandung Manufacturing Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Bali State Polytechnic, Jakarta State Polytechnic, and Jember State Polytechnic.
- Management Accounting with Guangxi Financial Vocational College with Semarang State Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Bali State Polytechnic, and Jakarta State Polytechnic.
- Building Construction Engineering Technology with Guangxi Polytechnic of Construction with Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Bali State Polytechnic, and Jakarta State Polytechnic.
- Civil Engineering and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine with Zhejiang Institute of Communication and Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College with Semarang State Polytechnic, Jember State Polytechnic, Sriwijaya State Polytechnic, Jakarta State Polytechnic, and Kupang State Agricultural Polytechnic.
This Collaboration Agreement will implement a 1+1+1 learning program, where students will study for one year in Indonesia, one year in China, and take part in an internship program at a Chinese company for one year. The signing of this MoU shows a serious commitment to developing educational cooperation between Indonesia and China, especially Vocational Education.
Liu Zilin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Liuzhou Vocational and Technical College, expressed his gratitude for the support of all parties in building cooperation between China and Indonesia in the fields of education and industry. He emphasized that vocational education cooperation between the two countries has great potential in supporting the development of Chinese companies in ASEAN.
Ahmad Saufi, Assistant Deputy for Vocational and Higher Education at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Indonesian Culture, also attended the event and gave a speech. Ahmad Saufi emphasized the importance of cooperation and collaboration in developing vocational education. He welcomed the results of the cooperation between Indonesia and China with full optimism, considering the mutual benefits for both parties that could result from this cooperation. Furthermore, Saufi invited to expand networks and collaboration across sectors to strengthen both parties. He hopes that this collaboration will improve the quality of polytechnics in Indonesia through partnerships with educational institutions and companies, both domestically and abroad.
In this event, Batam State Polytechnic, represented by Yudil Chatim, Education and Cultural Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, explained a general overview of the vocational education system in Indonesia. He hopes that investors can utilize existing educational institutions as their "Corporate University" platforms or training centers. This will also strengthen relations between Indonesia and China in the fields of language, culture and innovation. This collaboration opens up opportunities not only for partnerships, but also for the transfer of technology from the business and industrial world to the world of education, and is very much in line with the concept of "Freedom to Learn" launched by the Minister of Education, Mr. Nadiem Makarim.
Achmad Taqwa, Director of Sriwijaya Polytechnic and Chair of the Indonesian State Polytechnic Directors Forum (FDPNI), enthusiastically stated the importance of continuing to develop in the face of technological developments. "Science must always be pursued, especially considering that China has several advantages in various key fields." Achmad Taqwa explained
Achmad hopes that all polytechnics will join this program, because polytechnics are representatives of a country, especially in a broader context. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the Indonesian workforce is ready to face massive investment from China, so that this country can become a strong bulwark in facing this challenge.
Zainal Nur Arifin, Director of Jakarta Polytechnic, stated that Jakarta Polytechnic (PNJ) has collaborated with LiuZhou Vocational and Technical College (LVTC) and LiuGong Industry. He considers this kind of collaboration between higher education institutions in Indonesia, higher education institutions in China and Chinese industry that has invested in Indonesia, as a very important collaboration.
"In signing this MoU, PNJ signed 7 MoUs involving various departments, such as Mechanical Engineering, Building Construction, Management Accounting, Civil Engineering, etc. "All of this is a positive step in developing cooperation between PNJ, universities in China and Industry." Obviously.
With various strong commitments and cooperation between China and Indonesia in the field of vocational education, it will open up greater opportunities for students, universities and industry in both countries to develop together and achieve higher achievements in the future. This event is concrete evidence of close cooperation between China and Indonesia in facing challenges and opportunities in the world of education and industry.
The Polytechnic group who attended also had the opportunity to attend “the 2023 China-ASEAN College Student Gala” on the evening of September 14, which further strengthened cultural ties between the two countries.
