Vocational students aim high in international event<\/p>\n
Innocentius Christianto, Contributor\/Helsinki<\/p>\n
It was Veni, Vidi, Vici (I come, I see, I conquer) for Julius
\nCaesar, but it was Veni Vidi Didici (I come, I see, I learn), for
\nIndonesian students at the 38th International WorldSkills
\nCompetition in Helsinki recently.<\/p>\n
During the event, dubbed the Skill Olympiad, young people
\nunder 23 years of age from all over the world demonstrated their
\nvocational skills.<\/p>\n
This year's competition in the Finnish capital featured 39
\nvocations in the fields of engineering, industry and services.
\nAround 700 youths from 39 countries participated in the biennial
\nevent, including five Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Making its debut, Indonesia did not expect to win medals, nor
\nto finish among the top 10.<\/p>\n
\"We are not here with a target of winning medals but to
\nintroduce ourselves as a member of the WorldSkills Organization,\"
\nsaid Susilowati of the Directorate of Technical and Vocational
\nEducation at the Ministry of National Education.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian team comprised Hafid Setyo and Syahadatan Surya
\nwho competed in mechatronics, Erwan Rusdiana who participated in
\nplumbing, Andi Supardi in bricklaying and Sikae in joinery.<\/p>\n
European countries dominated the competition, while the Asian
\nchallenge was spearheaded by Japan, South Korea and China.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's best performance was in joinery, finishing 15th.<\/p>\n
Surya and Hafid said they were happy to measure their
\ncompetence in mechatronics, a combination of various disciplines
\nincluding computer science, control engineering, electrical
\nengineering, ergonomics and mechanical engineering.<\/p>\n
\"I know we did not set a certain target, but, still, I am
\ndisappointed because I failed to win a medal,\" Surya said.<\/p>\n
Hafid said that in terms of vocational skills, Indonesia could
\nmatch other countries.<\/p>\n
\"We just need better preparation to make ourselves familiar
\nwith the variety of new tools and equipment which are hard to
\nfind in Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hafid and Surya are in their second semester at the Vocational
\nEducation Development Center in a public training and teaching
\ninstitute in Malang, East Java.<\/p>\n
Andi, of Makassar, South Sulawesi, who is in his second
\nsemester of civil engineering at the Technical Education and
\nDevelopment Center (TEDC) in Bandung, West Java, blamed his lack
\nof discipline for his failure to win.<\/p>\n
\"What I learned here from the other participants was
\ndiscipline,\" said Andi, who also represented Indonesia in the
\nASEAN Skills Competition (ASC) in Hanoi last year.<\/p>\n
Participants in the joinery category and people who watched
\nthe competition were amazed upon learning that Sikae was the only
\ncontender who used a manual saw.<\/p>\n
\"But I made mistake when sketching the design. I should have
\nbeen more relaxed,\" he said. Sikae of Sampit, Central Kalimantan
\nwon a bronze in the ASC last year.<\/p>\n
Susi said Indonesia would fight for a place among the top 10
\nin the next competition in Shizuoka, Japan, and the big three in
\nthe 2009 competition in Calgary, Canada.<\/p>\n
\"We will also send more participants in other categories. We
\nwill scout for talented youngsters from various competitions at
\nhome,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The education ministry has organized a national skill
\ncompetition for vocational school students for the last 12 years.
\nThe upcoming annual event will be held on Bali island next week.<\/p>\n
Each member of the WorldSkills Organization pays an annual fee
\nwhich varies according to its population. Indonesia, which joined
\nthe organization last year, is charged 20,000 euro.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Ambassador to Finland Iris Indra Murti said the
\nnational team did not return home empty-handed.<\/p>\n
\"The event will raise domestic awareness that vocational study
\nis always good and fits the available vacancies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With around 800,000 students from 5,070 public and private
\nvocational schools graduating per year, some 50 percent have jobs
\nwaiting for them in related industries, government data revealed.<\/p>\n
Data released by the Central Statistics Agency in 2003 showed
\nthe number of vocational school graduates working as professional
\nworkers (667,852) outnumbered those of regular high school
\ngraduates (342,387).<\/p>",
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