Plenty of choice in IT education in Indonesia (2)<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The biggest challenge facing every IT education
\ncenter is to find instructors who can make computers appear less
\nintimidating to the uninitiated.<\/p>\n
In other words, they should be able to explain the workings of
\nthe computer in a way that lay people can easily understand.<\/p>\n
Widyaloka computer centers make sure instructors meet this
\nrequirement by testing and evaluating their performance through
\nfeedback from their own students.<\/p>\n
At the end of each course, students are asked to give their
\nopinion on the course instructor.<\/p>\n
In addition to hiring graduates from computer colleges with
\nseveral years of teaching experience, the center also recruits
\nTeacher Training College (IKIP) graduates to make sure their
\ninstructors are trained as educators.<\/p>\n
At the newly established YPIP-NIIT International Information
\nTechnology Center on Jl. R.S. Fatmawati, instructors are
\nrecruited through a rigorous selection procedure to ensure they
\nare effective teachers.<\/p>\n
YPIP-NIIT, the Indonesian licensee of NIIT information
\ntechnology from India, uses the same standard curricula and
\nteaching materials as franchises in all other countries in which
\nthe company operates.<\/p>\n
Like franchised fast food outlets, most international IT
\ntraining companies have standard course material. Singapore-based
\nInformatics uses the same materials here as in all their other
\nfranchises around the world. Home-grown Widyaloka has been
\nfollowing this practice and developing its own training material.
\nIts research and development center follows the latest
\ndevelopments in computer software and updates training materials
\naccordingly.<\/p>\n
ATC<\/p>\n
In a growing number of Indonesian education centers, course
\nmaterials and teaching methods are endorsed by software
\nmanufacturers.<\/p>\n
Centers possessing such endorsement are called Authorized
\nTraining Centers, or ATC. Microsoft, for example, has several
\nATCs in Indonesia, one of which is Sarana Solusindo Informatika,
\nwhich has its headquarters in Jl. Sisingamangaraja, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
ATCs benefit from the endorsement because the training
\ncertificates they issue gain credibility through bearing the name
\nof well known software houses. Widyaloka is in the process of
\napplying for ATC status.<\/p>\n
Widyaloka offers a broad range of courses and subjects, from
\nsimple word processing and spreadsheets, to desktop publishing,
\nthe Internet and Computer Aided Design (CAD). Students enrolled
\non its courses come from elementary school up to college level.
\nClasses are also run for business executives and secretaries.<\/p>\n
Even during the current economic slump, enrollment in
\nWidyaloka courses has remained quite high.<\/p>\n
\"During the Christmas holidays, parents who didn't want to see
\ntheir children just hanging around doing nothing sent them to our
\nclasses. It kept us busy,\" Djoni Oentoro of YPIP said.<\/p>\n
YPIP-NIIT began their operation in the midst of economic
\ngloom, a rather unfortunate time. But, as a large global
\ncorporation offering computer training and software solutions,
\nthe center is confident that it will eventually be able to
\nstrengthen its presence here.<\/p>\n
\"We plan to open more branches throughout Indonesia,\" Sunita
\nLodha, vice president of YPIP-NIIT, told me.<\/p>\n
YPIP-NIIT offers a unique program that I believe others
\ncould learn from.<\/p>\n
Sandeep Godkhindi of YPIP told me his center offers a three-
\nyear program for IT professionals. During the first and the
\nsecond years, students follow the center's curriculum.<\/p>\n
In the third year, YPIP-NIIT find a workplace where each
\nstudent can work as an apprentice, such as MIS departments in
\nprivate sector companies. The companies provide excellent
\ntraining and experience for the students. I think this is a
\nfabulous idea because students get the opportunity to learn their
\nskills in the real world.<\/p>\n
Tips<\/p>\n
There was one interesting thing that I noticed in the course
\nof this exercise. Many companies opt to pay for a few employees
\nto study at IT education centers in the hope that when they
\nreturn to work they will pass on their new skills to colleagues.<\/p>\n
At first glance, this may seem to be a cost-efficient way of
\ndeveloping human resources. However, if you think about it more
\ncarefully, these skilled individuals will be wasting valuable
\ntime doing something they are not trained to do, namely teaching
\ncomputer skills.<\/p>\n
In workplaces where productivity really matters, expecting
\nworkers to teach fellow workers is a bad idea.<\/p>\n
What do you have to take into account when sending employees
\nor your children to a computer education center?<\/p>\n
First, you have to first ask around before making your choice.
\nSchools which have a long list of companies as clients might be a
\ngood indicator of quality. You can ask companies on the list for
\ntheir opinion of the center that you have in mind.<\/p>\n
Second, you should pay attention to what subjects employees
\nare going to study at the center. Needless to say, you'd be
\nwasting your money if your employees or your children learn to
\nuse obsolete programs such as WordStar or MultiMate.<\/p>\n
In smaller towns such as Malang, for example, courses offered
\nare based on the availability of instructors. Therefore, it is
\nnot surprising to see computer centers offering courses in COBOL
\nand Clipper.<\/p>\n
The problem is that students may not immediately find jobs
\nthat require skills in these dated programming languages when
\nthey complete the course.<\/p>\n
Had they spent their time learning to program in the more up
\nto date C++, Visual Basic or Java, they would immediately find
\nthemselves in high demand.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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