Graduates of Widyatama University (UTama) must be able to contribute on the international stage. The university has established numerous partnerships with overseas institutions to pave the way for graduates to take part in international activities. This was conveyed by the Rector of Widyatama University, Dr. H. Islahuzzaman, S.E., M.Si., Ak., CA, during the graduation ceremony held on Saturday (May 28) and Sunday (May 29).
According to him, UTama has produced 14,832 graduates to date. Many of them have been absorbed by foreign markets. “However, increasing the number of graduates absorbed by foreign markets is a challenge. Currently, competition is not only domestic but also with other countries,” he said.
One of the collaborations that has been initiated since 2014 is with Cambodia. Meanwhile, its implementation in 2016 was marked by the issuance of a Decree on Living Expenses Assistance for the Joint Degree program from the Widyatama Foundation. Cooperation with Korea and China has been initiated since 2015, and in 2016, it was marked by a Letter of Intent from several Study Programs (Prodi) within UTama, such as Management Study Program S1, Multimedia D3, Information Technology Study Program S1, Management D3, and Graphic Design D4.
This year, said Islahuzzaman, cooperation was initiated and signed with SEAMO SEAMOLEC, an organization under the Ministry of Education of Southeast Asia. “To date, we have established international cooperation in the field of education, particularly with foreign universities in 40 countries across the continent,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the second batch of the UTama graduation ceremony, the number of graduates reached 663 people from 14 study programs. This number consists of 98 master’s degree holders, 9 professional program graduates, 532 bachelor’s degree graduates, and 24 associate degree graduates, and the procession was held over two days. “The two-day graduation ceremony was intended to provide comfort, order, and solemnity to parents and graduates in celebrating their happy day,” he said.
He said that the graduation ceremony is one of the indicators of the success of the teaching and learning process (lectures and exams), in addition to other indicators of success, namely the relatively quick absorption of graduates into the job market.
Among the graduates, Islahuzzaman said, many have been absorbed by the job market, both in the government sector, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and regional-owned enterprises (ROEs), as well as private companies, or have started their own businesses. Additionally, many have continued their studies at a higher level.
(Pikiran Rakyat, Saturday, May 28, 2016 Education News)
