UNS — Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta hosted the onboarding event of Semesta Wirausaha Merdeka, Monday (14/8/2023). A total of 300 selected students from 24 universities across Indonesia were invited to physically attend the event at the Suhardi Auditorium, Building 3, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) UNS.
UNS is one of the partner campuses of the Merdeka Campus to host the initiative program by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), known as Wirausaha Merdeka (Independent Entrepreneurship). This program provides students with the opportunity to learn and develop themselves as prospective entrepreneurs. It hones entrepreneurial skills, encourages enhanced entrepreneurial experience, and boosts the students’ work capacity.
The Rector of UNS, Prof. Dr. Jamal Wiwoho, S.H., M.Hum., was present and addressed the students. While inaugurating the event, Prof. Jamal expressed his gratitude for the Kemendikbudristek’s trust in UNS to implement this program. He also symbolically attached co-cards to two representative students, followed by all the attending students.
“We hope that this program will give birth to young entrepreneurs who make a positive contribution to Indonesia,” Prof. Jamal said.
In addition, Laksmindra Saptyawati, S.E., M.B.A., as a representative of Wirausaha Merdeka Pusat (Independent Entrepreneur Center), the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI), the Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo), the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), and the Indonesia Marketing Association (IMA) were also present.
The Chairman of the Onboarding Program of WMK UNS 2023, Khresna Bayu Sangka, S.E., M.M., Ph.D., CMILT, emphasized that this program is the result of collaboration between various directorates at UNS and partner campuses in its execution. UNS carries the program identity of “Sebelas Maret Startup Academy” (Semesta) Wirausaha Merdeka. The curriculum is specially designed to produce resilient young Indonesian entrepreneurs.
“There are three main stages in this activity: pre-immersion, immersion, and post-immersion, over one semester, with the potential for full recognition of 20 credits within one semester,” Khresna explained.
Laksmindra Saptyawati, S.E., MBA., as a representative of the Wirausaha Merdeka Pusat program team, explained that the Wirausaha Merdeka program is a response to the low percentage of entrepreneurs in Indonesia, which is only about 3.47% in Asia. The main focus of this program is to provide comprehensive entrepreneurship education through various workshops, training sessions, and self-development programs.
Students gain knowledge about basic business concepts, business modeling, marketing, financial management, and business growth strategies. UNS successfully competed with various campuses to become the host university for WMK 2023, improving the quality of entrepreneurship in the country.
Entering the core event, the Striking Success Story (3S) Talk Show had the theme “Begin Our Business Journey”. This event presented the founder and CEO of Creative Kokedama, Dwi Lili Indayani, and the founder of Sekutu Coffe Company, Ricky Vernandes Setiady. The talk show was moderated by Brian Gregory Adhihendra, S.E., M.Sc.
Dwi Lili Indayani emphasized that starting a business should be based on a passion for what one does, along with a need for focus and consistency to achieve success. Meanwhile, Ricky Vernandes Setiady revealed that for business development, it is important to maximize every potential aspect. They agreed that potential is not solely about money; expanding a strong network can also be a valuable asset in the business world.
Humas UNS
Reporter: R. P. Adji
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
