2020
Co-op Education Program: Giving Real Working Life Experience for Students.
The co-op education program was established by Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in 2019 and has bear great results which have been felt by its students. One of them is Grady Oktavian, Applied Mathematics student batch 2016, one of the students who joined the co-op education program in PT Asuransi Adira Dinamika back in 2019.
According to Grady, his experience in this co-op program has given him a hint of a real working life. Especially because his works were mainly data processing, which is very closely related to his courses in the Mathematics Department.
“I was faced with real and complex data. In terms of data processing, this real-life experience was way different from the time I was in class. I got the chance to connect with the professionals in the insurance and finance, industry, it was a step head from in-class of campus level. In campus, we obtained the foundation, and in real life, we are using this foundation we have to process these complex data,” said Grady.
The co-op program in the Mathematics Department UPH was carefully prepared to meet the needs of students, not just to fulfill the learnings they need during their time inside the class, but also to prepare them upon graduating and to work in the industry. This program has been proven to improve students’ skills and prepare them for the professional world.
There are many benefits when it comes to these programs. Aside from specific skills, students also got to develop their soft skills such as discipline, professionalism, time management, and integrity, when they have to deal with big responsibilities.
“In terms of relation, this co-op program has really expand my networking. During my internship period, I got to know many people and made connections. Until now, I still keep in touch with them and they still give me updates on the development of the insurance industry,” said Grady.
From the industry’s point of view, CEO and President Director of PT Asuransi Adira Dinamika – Julian Noor, said that Adira sees that UPH co-op education program is a program that reciprocally completes the needs of both university and industry.
“In Adira Insurance, we facilitate students like Grady through an adjustment of the competence and knowledge they have with the company’s needs. Adira has identified the need for this co-op program and we have prepare a clear job description and a mentor for each student. We ensure that the students are going to do about 80% of a general employee’s work. This will help internship students to understand the work process in our company,” said Julian.
Julian also added that in this program, one of the most important issues is convincing parents that this co-op program is not going to slow down student’s graduation.
“This co-op program is not going to delay their graduation time. Instead, it will prepare them to get employed faster and easier. For those who underwent their co-op program in Adira, they will have a won’t have to go through the general employment process. Their internship period in Adira has already function as an assessment process for them,” he added.
In UPH Mathematics, this program has been added into the curriculum. Students are allowed to take the co-op program in their 5th semester, for a total of 3-4 months, 7th semester and the short semester program. Therefore, students will get the opportunity for a full year of work experience. UPH is still preparing this program to be incorporated in other department’s curriculum. Hopefully, the experience and benefits that Grady had shared will be a point of interest and motivation for other students to take the co-op program during their studies.
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