This Community Service event was held in Cililin District, West Bandung Regency, on Thursday, May 7th, 2018, as part of the lecturers’ obligation to carry out one of the pillars of the Tridharma Perguruan Tinggi (Three Pillars of Higher Education). It is an honor for us (the lecturer team) to be able to realize this with the aim of helping to improve the economy of rural communities that are still considered underdeveloped. This activity was attended by 73 lecturers from the Faculty of Business & Management UTama, UTama Graduate School, Faculty of Economics UTama, Extraordinary Lecturers and 20 students from the Faculty of Business & Management UTama. Although 40 faculty members and 11 students were unable to attend due to conflicting academic commitments, the event was successfully held thanks to the cooperation and support of various parties who voluntarily contributed their materials, time, effort, and ideas.
The event began at 8:30 a.m. with an opening speech by Mr. Endang Hadiat, Head of Cililin Subdistrict, followed by a speech from the chair of the PkM committee (Ms. Adjeng Mariana). After the opening ceremony, the event continued with a presentation on the main topics of the Cililin sub-district SME (small and medium enterprises) outreach program, coordinated by Mr. Ismail Solihin in accordance with their respective fields of study, namely: marketing, entrepreneurship, human resources, and operational and strategic aspects. The participants who were the target audience for this community service event numbered approximately 15 SME (small and medium enterprises) operators from various processed product sectors, including: Wajit products, Gurilem crackers in various flavors, Dodol Cililin in various flavors, Chocolajit (Cililin Wajit Chocolate), Tempe chips, and the unique and newest Honey Pumpkin products. After the presentations and guidance from the Main Faculty Team to the SME operators were completed (approximately 3 hours), the event concluded precisely at 12 noon, followed by a social gathering.
We (the lecturer team) would also like to express our gratitude to P3IMB UTama, UTama Graduate School, and sponsors such as Batik Nanda Tasikmalaya, Kleinkinder Preschool Bekasi, Bank Woori Saudara Bandung, After Hijra Bandung, and the West Bandung Regency Government for their participation and involvement in the Community Service activities in Cililin Subdistrict, West Bandung Regency. The implementation of this PKM activity is expected to help develop the regional economy for the better, although achieving this goal will require patience, persistence, and a considerable amount of time.
The lecturer team hopes that this PKM activity can be used as a benchmark to bring the name of Widyatama Institution and West Bandung Regency as pioneers of education in West Java, through counseling for SME actors, especially in Cililin Subdistrict, as independent entrepreneurs known for their diverse range of flagship products, namely: Wajit & Gurilem. (Abdul Rozak, SE., M.Si/FBM)
