UNS — The Directorate General of Vocational Education Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) RI, Wikan Sakarinto, Ph.D., stated that Grade Point Average (GPA) does not guarantee someone’s success in the future. This message was delivered to Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta’s graduands in Offline and Online Graduation Ceremony Period I of 2021, Saturday afternoon (27/2/2021) through Zoom Cloud Meeting.
“GPA as a guarantee of success is a misconception. A high GPA is a requirement because a low GPA will bring you difficulty in finding jobs,” he said.
Wikan Sakarinto, Ph.D., stated that a university should equip its students with appropriate competencies before entering the workplace. He added that students should not rely on their bachelor certificate, but they should prioritize their cognitive ability, soft skill, and character. He emphasized that soft skill, in particular, is the key to success in the workplace. He discussed this topic after receiving business and industry complaints regarding university graduates’ quality, which they deemed cannot work well under stress.
“The complaints on (university) graduates are lack of communication skill, lack of teamwork, lack of initiatives, and easily bored,” he said.
In solving these issues, Wikan Sakarinto, Ph.D., stated that Kemendikbud RI is committed to developing a good link and match between higher education and industry. The ministry focuses on eight points of link and match program to ensure higher education graduates possess the quality sought by the workplace. He added that an ideal link and match program could not be achieved by a collaboration that stops at the MoU agreement. University and industry should sit together and formulate desirable curriculum, soft-skill development, project-based learning, and the provision of courses taught by experts (50-100 hours per program).
Students also need to have at least one-semester internship and acquire a competency certificate while their teachers received training from the industry. He also emphasized the need for applied research to solve related issues in the community and market. Applied research, Wikan Sakarinto, Ph.D. stated, should be based on the market and community needs and the existing challenges. A study without this background will meet a dead end when the community and industry do not need the insight, and the market does not accept the result. Humas UNS
Reporter: Yefta Christopherus AS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
