Swiss German University held a talk show themed 'Internationalization & Industry-Oriented Higher Education System'

Jakarta, 16 June 2016 – In the era of globalization and AEC (ASEAN Economic Community), the qualification of the human resources in Indonesia has new challenges, can only be overcome through active collaboration between educational institutions, industry and government. According to the survey conducted by the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit)/SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Foundation in 2013, the biggest challenge in the development of skilled human resources in globalization era is a misalignment between the competence generated by institutions applying traditional education and the competence that are actually needed by the industry. In response to these condition, Swiss German University (SGU) held a talk show themed "Internationalization & Industry Oriented Higher Education System" as a real manifestation of SGU care to improve the qualification of human resources in Indonesia.

Competence and educational background of Indonesian workforce became one of the crucial things in the competition of AEC (ASEAN Economic Community). The workers are required to have excellent skills and be intelligent, creative, and innovative. President Director & CEO of PT Siemens Indonesia, Mr. Josef Winter, explained that the key to the success of Siemens as a multinational company, "We have a standardization in the recruitment of qualified human resources. This is something we do as a driving factor for the growth of the company in the future. We need human resources who are ‘ready-to-work’ and have practical skills in accordance with our business as well as leadership, communication skills and good work ethic, and international orientation without losing local knowledge and approach."

President Director & CEO of PT Siemens Indonesia, Mr. Josef Winter

The effort to align the competence was also confirmed by Prof. Sutrisna Wibawa, the Secretary of Directorate General for “Pembelajaran & Kemahasiswaan” of the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Sesditjen Belmawa Kemenristek DIKTI): "The government through the Kemenristek DIKTI always tried to improve the quality of Indonesian higher education graduates by continuously updating national standards of higher education (PERMENRISTEKDIKTI 44/2015). In addition, Kemenristek DIKTI always tried to generate graduates who are qualified, innovative, and have both national and international competitiveness. We appreciate the initiative conducted by SGU as the representative of international educational institution in realizing good synergy with industry and government in improving the qualification of Indonesian workforce, and hope to bring results in the form of concrete actions which can be realized by related parties."

Prof. Sutrisna Wibawa, the Secretary of Directorate General for “Pembelajaran & Kemahasiswaan” of the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education (Sesditjen Belmawa Kemenristek DIKTI)

Other challenges faced globally are the lack of soft skills, adaptability and interpersonal communication as stated in the 'Global Talent Index' released by the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) in 2012. Nearly 52% of industry players in Asia Pacific said that the biggest weakness of the human resources who do not pass the recruitment process is the lack of soft skills particularly in creativity to deal with work challenges and excellent communication skill.

Mrs. Ina Liem as an education expert and the CEO of Jurusanku.com saw the importance of the development of soft skills early on, especially in the daily activities of teaching and learning. "The knowledge and practical skills are indeed assets for any higher education graduates, but in the present era where access to knowledge and skills is very broad, soft skills has the most important role as a determinant of the success of graduates either for business development or the creation of business opportunities, especially in facing the era of globalization and AEC," she said.

As the first international university in Indonesia, SGU has a teaching philosophy which is centered on the development of character and soft-skills for the graduates that will differentiate their performance. "The development of character and soft-skills was from the students’ learning environment, the integration of international standard and industry requirements into the curriculum and internship program that are specifically divided in domestic and abroad, particularly in Europe," said SGU Rector, Dr. rer. nat. Filiana Santoso. "Since the establishment of SGU in 2000, we aimed to build knowledge and skills which are directed in accordance with industry’s expectations and embedded the working principles gained from the students experience exposed to professional environment both locally and internationally," said Mrs. Filiana.

Swiss German University (SGU) is committed to advancing the Indonesian higher education and the quality of Indonesian human resources by providing innovative educational programs through 11 undergraduate program and 3 graduate program with the provision of dual/triple degree from well-known international partners and industry collaboration with more than 250 companies throughout Indonesia and Europe.