Universitas Terbuka (UT), as a higher education institution, acknowledges the importance of career planning for its graduates. In alignment with the demands of Key Performance Indicator 1 (IKU 1), currently, 59.25% of UT students are under the age of 25. This emphasizes the commitment that career planning for students through specialized training and experiences is crucial. To address this challenge, UT, through the Center for Community Service (Pusat Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat) LPPM UT-LPPM, conducted career training for UT students with the theme “Smart Strategies for UT Millennial Students Careers.”
The activity took place in 12 UT regions in Indonesia, including Palembang, Batam, Pekanbaru, Samarinda, Bandung, Denpasar, Jakarta, Semarang, Makassar, Serang, Padang, and Surabaya. A total of 813 students actively participated in this program. To maximize the effectiveness of the training, UT collaborated with PT Kinobi Technologies Indonesia. Interestingly, the training featured speakers from the millennial generation, providing relevant and digestible content due to their youthful style and presentation. Indeed, some criteria for students participating in this activity were that they must be “millennials” with a minimum study period of 5 semesters, from the non-RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) track, and preferably scholarship grantees, including KIP-K and CSR.
One of the main highlights of this training was the focus on public speaking for personal branding and the development of a curriculum vitae (CV) that is friendly to the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). With this technology, uploading CV directly to the job portals becomes more straightforward. Although some training participants were already employed, crafting an ATS-friendly CV and personal branding still felt unfamiliar to them. The participant satisfaction survey results indicated that they were very satisfied with this training, and they hoped that UT would continue organizing similar training according to the career needs of students.
This is surely encouraging for the UT Career Team under the leadership of LPPM-UT. “We are committed to providing a larger space to enhance the student competences in terms of their future career development, we have designed this under the command of Mr. Teguh Prakoso. So, under the Center for Community Service (PKM-LPPM),” as stated by Prof. Dra. Dewi Artati Padmo Putri, M.A., Ph.D. on various occasions coordinating this activity. If in 2023 this training activity was only conducted in 12 cities in UT regions, then in 2024, PKM-LPPM UT plans to reach all UT regions with a hybrid mode.
Energetic Atmosphere during Training in UT Regions
Moreover, PKM-LPPM UT also plans to organize a job fair to provide direct opportunities for UT students to connect with the world of profession. The event is designed effectively to keep up with the rapidly advancing digital technology. This event is expected to be an effective platform for students to explore career opportunities, interact with leading companies, and build beneficial networks for their futures. With this initiative, UT seeks to provide holistic support in the career development of its students, not only through skills training but also through direct access to the job market. As a progressive educational institution, UT continues to strive to improve the quality of the human resources it produces, ensuring that students have adequate preparation to face challenges in the competitive job market (TP, RF).
