Improve Lecturer Competence, Participants Of The Pilot Ihilead Erasmus+iHiLead Program Design A Professional Lecturer Program Goes To Industry

Indonesia Higher Education Leader (iHiLead) is an international grant program from Erasmus+ European Union. The iHiLead program in Indonesia is managed by seven campuses, namely the Islamic University of Indonesia, Padjadjaran University,Universitas Ahmad Dahlan , Semarang State University, President University, Brawijaya University, and STIE Malangkucecwara. Since the beginning of 2021, the seven campuses that have joined the national consortium have formulated and implemented the iHiLead Pilot program in the form of leadership training for leaders in the seven consortium member universities in Indonesia. This training was attended by 14 participants and has been carried out on campuses, both at home and abroad, such as at the University of Granada, Spain.

The iHiLead Piloting participants were divided into four groups, and each group was given the task of planning and implementing a change project. One of the groups consisting of Dr. Desi Harneti Putri Huspa (Padjadjaran University), dr. Rr. Sri Ratna Rahayu, M. Kes., Ph.D. (Semarang State University), Dr. Farid Setiawan, M.Pd.I. (Universitas Ahmad Dahlan) and Pangesti Rahman, S.E. (Indonesian Islamic University) initiated a program entitled Professional Lecturer Goes to Industry. This program was initiated to answer the problems raised by one of the consortium member universities. The problems are analyzed based on the fact that so many post-apprentice students in the industrial world have not been fully absorbed. This phenomenon also occurs in many universities in Indonesia. The low absorption of undergraduate program graduates in industry is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate in Indonesia, reaching 6.97% in February 2021 (source: Central Bureau of Statistics). Of course there are many factors that trigger this condition, one of which is the competence of lecturers in carrying out the educational process which still has a large enough gap with industry needs.

The Professional Lecturer Goes to Industry Program is a development of the Lecturer Internship Program in Industry from the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Directorate of Resources. This program is designed the form implementing the Tridharma of Higher Education (Education, Research and Service) in the industry. Through this program, lecturers are given the opportunity to see and be directly involved in the world of industry and the world of work so that it can have an impact on the learning process in class. In addition, lecturers can also apply for research grants and service programs provided by the campus. The grant must collaborate with partners from the world of industry or the world of work. All of this is designed to build links and matches between universities and the industrial world, said Desi the Project Leader.
Desi and three trainee members of her group have designed a manual for the Professional Lecturer Go to Industry program. The book is being tested at one of the universities that are members of the national consortium. This trial, on the one hand, is intended to obtain constructive input from the academic community, so that the guidebook that has been designed can actually be implemented properly. On the other hand, the trial is also intended to build a new ecosystem within the lecturer environment in order to establish relations with the industrial world.

To develop the Guidebook for the Professional Lecturer Goes to Industry Program, Desi and friends held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) entitled Program Professional Lecturer Goes to Industry: MBKM Based – Lecturer Competency Development, by inviting iHiLead coordinators at each tertiary institution as members of the consortium national level, to receive input and opinions. The FGD was held online on Friday, 9 December 2022, and was attended by Dr. Ing. Ir. Ilya Fadjar Maharika, M.A., IAI. (UII), Prof. apt. Melisa Intan Barliana, Ph.D. (Unpad), Dorojatun Prihandono, S.E., M.M., Ph.D. (UNNES) Afit Istiandaru, S.Pd., M.Pd. (UAD), Prof. Devanto Shasta Pratomo, S.E., M.Sc., Ph.D. (UB), Andi Ina Yustina, M.Sc., CMA (President University), Ir. Dwi Nita Aryami, M.M., Ph.D. (STIE Malangkucecwara).

“The handbook should be able to function as a guide for all stakeholders involved, such as industry, universities, faculties, study programs, university lecturers, collaborator practitioners, and students,” suggested Dr. Ilya Mahardika opened the discussion session. Benefits for each stakeholder should also appear in the manual guide book. What are the advantages for universities, industry, lecturers, and students, according to suggestions from many discussion participants. Additionally, the required budget must also be taken into account. Policies at the higher education level are needed to ensure the running of this program. There are many more suggestions and input to warm up the discussion. The discussion was closed by submitting a follow-up plan for organizers to improve the guidebook. It is great hope from the participants that the planning for the Professional Lecturer Goes to Industry program can continue to be finalized so that it can be implemented in universities in Indonesia.