Dean of the ITS Vocational Faculty Prof. Ir Muhammad Sigit Darmawan (center) together with four Vocational High School (SMK) partners

ITS Campus, ITS News – Vocational education must be able to synergize and collaborate with Industry, Business, and the World of Work (IDUKA). Supporting this goal, the Vocational Faculty, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) which is part of the 2020 Partnership Assistance Campus Program, followed up by holding a Mutual Intensification Agreement and a Collaboration Strategy between Vocational Education and PT Robert Bosch Indonesia, Sunday (15/11).

Prof. Ir Muhammad Sigit Darmawan MEngSc Ph.D., Dean of the ITS Vocational Faculty, explained that the 2020 Partnership Assistance Campus Program is an activity funded by the Directorate of Partnerships and Alignment of the Business World and the Industrial World (MITRAS BUDI), the Directorate General of Vocational Education (Ditjen Diksi), and Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemdikbud).

“This program aims to foster the Corporate Culture of Vocational Education Units in Indonesia by increasing the synergy and intensity of collaboration with IDUKA,” said this bespectacled man.

Taking place at the Grand Dafam Kayoon Hotel, Surabaya, this event was also attended by representatives of the six Affiliated Vocational Education Unit (SPVA) partners consisting of Vocational Higher Education (PTV) and Vocational High School (SMK). The six representatives each came from SMKN 5 Surabaya, SMKN 1 Singosari, SMKN 2 Jember, Surabaya State University (Unesa), Jember University (Unej), and Banyuwangi State Polytechnic (Poliwangi).

Dean of the ITS Vocational Faculty Prof. Ir Muhammad Sigit Darmawan (left) describing the 2020 Partnership Assistance Campus Program

Sigit explained that the six SPVA partners will provide debriefing and feedback through the Forum Group Discussion (FGD) activity. “This FGD will be in the form of workshops with various themes such as Best Practice Teaching Factory for Vocational Education in Manufacturing and Industrial Automation, Criteria for Industry-Based Teaching Factory 4.0, Direction of Development in the Manufacturing Industry, and many more,” said the professor of Civil Infrastructure Engineering.

To launch this program, Sigit said that the ITS Vocational Faculty was not alone. Apart from being supported by the ITS Industrial Mechanical Engineering Department, the Industrial Engineering Technology (TRM) Applied Undergraduate Study Program, the ITS Vocational Faculty also collaborates with and involves ten industrial partners, one of which is PT Robert Bosch.

Attended virtually by Aziz Dhuha Abdul as Business Development Manager of Connected Solutions of PT Robert Bosch, the discussion of this cooperation strategy has met several conclusions. Like Dhuha’s application, his nickname, PT Robert Bosch will work together to develop a Teaching Factory at ITS.

Aziz Dhuha Abdul from PT Robert Bosch attends virtually

Furthermore, Dhuha expressed the scope of cooperation between PT Robert Bosch and ITS, namely in the form of presenting a special methodology to ITS to be able to conduct an independent assessment of Industry 4.0 readiness with the Teaching Factory facility.

Based on the results of the self-assessment, Bosch will suggest a suitable software solution or software be installed and implemented in each Teaching Factory facility. “Bosch always strives to foster and support innovation and develop young talents in the field of mobility and Industry 4.0,” concluded Dhuha.

With the agreement of this work strategy, Sigit hopes that the harmonization of cooperation between Vocational Higher Education (PTV) and Vocational High Schools with industry can become more intense, where the program results include the creation of Corporate Culture and collaboration of Vocational Education synergy with the industrial world.

“Also, the hope is that there is a mapping of the potential for cooperation with other industrial partners so that this Partnership Assistance Campus Program can be realized and help advance and strengthen Indonesia,” he concluded. (ra/far/ITS Public Relations)

Prof. Ir Muhammad Sigit Darmawan (center) with the six partners of the Affiliated Vocational Education Unit (SPVA) after signing the MoU at the Grand Dafam Hotel, Surabaya