PALMOILMAGAZINE, BEKASI – Achieving sustainability in the global palm oil industry demands unwavering commitment from all stakeholders, mirroring President Joko Widodo’s mission to secure the nation’s independence. This commitment entails the development of peripheral regions and the provision of quality education to enhance the welfare of the populace through the palm oil business.
With a commercial history spanning over a century in Indonesia, the palm oil sector has significantly contributed to national advancement. Palm oil plantations, primarily situated in remote areas, have catalyzed regional development and upliftment. Consequently, fostering similar commitment to educational advancement is imperative for continued success.
According Director of Poltek Citra Widya Edukasi (CWE) Kristono Nugroho, this shared commitment can be actualized through governmental support and proactive involvement in business development. Additionally, entrepreneurs can play a crucial role by investing in universities to cultivate skilled human resources necessary for industry growth.
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“Though palm oil business develops massively to support and increase the economy, but it needs special attention from the government and the business world,” Nugroho explained.
It is the main factor in the future, that is, the presence of qualified human resources for palm oil industries from the upstream to downstream sectors. As a matter of fact, having the education that is as same as the needs of the industry, human resources will work in the sector.
“Developing the university should be the same as developing and increasing the related research to make the industry more, efficient, environment-friendly, and welfare-oriented,” he said.
Sustainable Commitment
As part of the integrated palm oil business from the upstream to downstream, Nugroho thought, it needed education that was up-to-date, such as, the environmental issue, for which every university should know the progress.
Actually, the education in Link and Match has been implemented in Indonesia. Years ago, when the Secretary of Education was Wardiman, Indonesia made the condition that education should be based on the business world. But until now, there have been lots of problems with the idea.
Learning from the advanced countries, and also Malaysia, the education in the country could graduate the human resources that the industry needs so the country could go forward. “It needs the same commitment to master every problem in the education world,” the father of three children said.
The government should empower the regulations in palm oil industries, for example, the obligation of Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) through the Secretary’s Regulation, which is to support the business world to fulfill and get ISPO.
Many regulations in the palm oil industry, from upstream to downstream, should be reviewed so that the industry can follow the progress and be strong enough to compete with others.
Poltek CWE, Nugroho thought, could fulfil the human resource needs. The studies thought to the students are: hard skills, soft skill, curriculum, and the academic structure is always up date, and the lecturers are too. So those who graduated from Poltek CWE could adjust and work in palm oil business.
The advantages for the graduates of Poltek CWE are they are faster to adapt, know the latest progress. Until now, Poltek CWE has graduated 550 students who are working in many palm oil areas in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Malaysian company, Serawak Berhard, once saluted how Poltek CWE educated the students.
“It means, we could fulfil the qualified human resources in palm oil, and until now, Poltek CWE still cooperated with national and Malayian companies,” Nugroho said. (*)
