Y.A.I. looks to the future in education

The most important thing to look for when shopping for an education is quality lifelong training.

Yayasan Administrasi Indonesia, with its wide range of courses, is a very good place to start.

Nobody wants to pay a lot only to find that their school's educational content just isn't up to date and they are now the last choice on every employer's list.

Many educational institutions offer training in the basic or advanced skills required to enter a profession. But not all of them also provide the solid educational basis that prepares students for lifelong learning.

To make sure you get the best it helps to have an idea of what you want to do and where you want to go in life.

If you see yourself hitching your ambitions to the development train, then the training you need will be fairly specific.

But when you are looking around, finding the right place can be very bewildering. There are numerous institutes, students and a multitude of courses short and long. How can you tell which ones are the best?

You look for proof of success.

Where do the graduates of a school get jobs? Are they good jobs? Do most graduates get jobs? Do they get them straight away or does it take a long time?

Is the training recognized and transferable? Can you study further in the field if you want to, here and overseas?

Other proofs of success can be found in the growth of the institute you are looking at.

Lets face it, schools do not become popular unless they deliver the goods.

Yayasan Administrasi Indonesia (Y.A.I.) has had a remarkable success rate in terms of growth, student outcomes, industry recognition and international recognition.

It was founded in 1972 by H. Julius Sjukur, with an accounting course he taught himself. There were 27 students.

The course proved such a success that in the second year, 77 students enrolled. A 300 percent growth in one year.

The Accountancy Academy was founded in 1977 and quickly raced to the lead among other institutions offering similar courses. And since the 1980s, the institute has averaged a steady annual growth in student numbers of about 30 percent to 40 percent.

Y.A.I. now teaches more than 15,000 students a year.

Lembaga Pendidikan Y.A.I. measures its success by its annual growth rate and by the success of its students, 25 percent of whom maintain a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher, 4 percent cum laude.

The founder's mission was and still is to educate the whole person for the rest of their life.

"Educating the people of Indonesia to become business professionals and to participate in the national development is our founding mission," Julius said.

"Our business is to prepare students for success in advanced study in their careers, and throughout their lives. We work very hard to achieve this and we will continue to do so," he said.

Because the demand was so high, Julius expanded Y.A.I. by opening the University of Persada Indonesia Y.A.I., and the Y.A.I. Economic and Business Institute in 1985.

Swati Suhaemi, Chairman of the Center for International Cooperation Y.A.I. said that while many other educational institutes offered similar programs, Y.A.I. considered very few its competitors.

"The institute continues to be popular and our students have a remarkable employment success rate, nearly 100 percent of graduates progress directly into jobs," she said.

Y.A.I.'s alumni can be found in the business sector in positions ranging from clerical support to managerial jobs.

"About 20 percent of our students progress directly on to higher study, either abroad or in Indonesia," she said.

Graduates' qualifications are recognized overseas and many enter higher-education programs in other countries.

Recognition is very important, our courses are recognized by the Ministry of Education throughout Indonesia, she said.

Ir. Yudi Yulius, vice director of STIE Y.A.I. said the college was negotiating for ACBSP accreditation from the United States. "This is expected to come through in 1998," he said.

ACBSP is a U.S. organization committed to excellence in business education. It approves accreditation for international universities outside the U.S.

"We are constantly working at maintaining our edge and have our sights set on maintaining this into the global and free-trade era, this is why we are working hard on our international links," he said.

"We want our students to have the best opportunities," he said.

With this in mind, Y.A.I. has developed strong ties with its peer institutions in other countries, particularly the United States.

A number of international experts work with the institute. On average they spend one or two weeks a year at Y.A.I. giving seminars and lectures.

This means that for a minimum of nine weeks a year, students have the benefit of outside international expertise on campus.

These experts assist the staff in their joint continuing educations by helping them pursue their second or third degrees, and work with them on joint research projects.

One of the international experts who has signed a memorandum of understanding with Y.A.I. is Prof. Dr. Hanns-Martin Schoenfeld from the University of Illinois in the United States. He is a professor of accountancy and the author of 12 accountancy texts. He is also a member of the American Accountancy Association.

Also collaborating with Y.A.I. are Prof. Dr. Thomas Filovich from Cornell University; Prof. Dr. Maurice T Albertson, Prof. Dr. Edwin Shinn and Prof. Dr. Charles O Neidt, all from Colorado State University; Prof. Dr. David J Harris from the University of Central Oklahoma; Dr. Guy Meublat from Universite Paris Nord, France; and Prof. Dr. Rolf-Dieter Reineke from the University College of Engineering and Business Studies, in Dresden, Germany.

Y.A.I. is contemplating similar arrangements with Cleveland State University, University of Illinois and University of Central Oklahoma.

Fields of study

Y.A.I. is one of the five biggest private university foundations in Jakarta and offers higher education in more than 10 academic and professional fields.

The college is divided into three institutions: the University of Persada Indonesia Y.A.I. (UPI), Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Y.A.I. (STIE), and Akademi Akuntansi (AA).

UPI has over 6,000 students, STIE over 5,000 students and AA about 4,000 students.

The University of Persada Indonesia Y.A.I.

The University of Persada Indonesia was first opened with three schools. It now houses five schools and a graduate school.

The School of Business offers undergraduate majors in accounting and management, and a management diploma.

Its Psychology School offers undergraduate majors in experimental, education, social, clinical, development, and organization and industry psychology.

In the School of Civil and Planning Engineering, undergraduate courses are offered in cooperation with the Institute of Technology Bandung; students can major in architecture and civil engineering.

Computer whizzes would probably be drawn to the School of Industrial Technology's undergraduate programs in computer science and management and industrial technology. Or the diploma in computer science.

For those interested in combining their interests in agriculture and business, there are undergraduate programs in agricultural business and agricultural technology available from the School of Agriculture.

Graduate Programs

The institute began offering graduate programs in 1993. Today, six majors are on offer; in accounting, finance, human resources, information systems, production and operation management and banking.

The graduate school of management offers students the opportunity of studying one or two semesters abroad at the universities linked to the institute.

Many of the Magister Management courses are given in two languages, Indonesian and English, to facilitate students ability to work in an international environment.

Y.A.I. Economics and Business Institute

The Economics and Business Institute was setup specifically to create business professionals adjusted to technological development. There are three available majors, accounting, financial and banking management and accounting information systems.

Accounting Academy and Short courses.

The Accounting Academy is Y.A.I.'s oldest school and offers professional diplomas for students wanting to work as accountants.

Shorter accounting, English and tax courses are also available for professionals wanting to add to their qualifications, or for people wanting to explore a possible career interest.

The English-language laboratories are state-of-the-art.

The advantages of studying at Y.A.I.

Y.A.I. is committed to academic excellence in undergraduate, graduate, and other continuing education programs. This commitment underlies strong educational program as well as research, scholarship, and community service activities.

The institute's central location makes it highly accessible to students from all areas of Greater Jakarta, be it by car or public transport.

Its proximity to the heart of Jakarta's business center has enabled it to foster strong cooperative relationships with community, business and political institutions.

Partnerships are continually being built on these opportunities for the enhancement of academic programs and the community. And, of course, for the students.

Bodies such as Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan, send their employees to Y.A.I. when they need to update their professional qualifications.

As well as being technically up to date, Y.A.I.'s programs are designed to encourage student excellence.

The educational programs are carefully designed to foster habits of disciplined inquiry and to develop students' critical abilities to think, read, write, compute, listen and communicate effectively.

The school has developed a number of programs to take its students just that little bit further than other schools.

A small accounting firm, a small bank and student cooperation firms have been set up so students can get a taste of the real thing prior to seeking or starting work.

Not only does this increase the student's confidence when approaching employers and interviews, but that touch of experience makes an excellent impression when the student starts work for the first time.

The Management Development Center was set up in a link-and- match endeavor to help bridge the gap between study and work.

Over 250 big Indonesian companies have joined the Y.A.I. job market to help students find the position they want.

Y.A.I.'s students' ages range from late teens to the 50s. Y.A.I. believes it is never too late to get the education you want.

Reputation

Y.A.I. has earned its reputation for excellence largely due to the quality of its staff and graduates.

Many of them earned their higher degrees from leading universities in Australia, Europe and the U.S.

Proof of their commitment to teaching is found in the fact that senior faculty members regularly teach the introductory courses in their disciplines.

And they assume the responsibility for giving academic and career advice to their students.

Extracurricular

For those who want more than just a school, the institute offers its students a chance to get together outside the classroom.

Students can get involved in the student body, or join sports, music, art and computer clubs or even join the student army.

Students can also be involved in the university magazine, Persada.

So where is it?

All five fully air-conditioned campuses with the latest in equipment are in strategic areas: Jl. Imam Bonjol, Diponegoro, Salemba, Kramat Raya and Kelapa Gading. Each campus has its own library.

Public transport is no problem because they are all in the Jakarta business district.

There are two four-story buildings in Kelapa Gading, one eight-story building at Kramat Raya, a nine-story building at Salemba Raya 9, and a five-story building at Imam Bonjol 72.

Currently on its way up is a 20-story building at Salemba Raya 10, which will make the Salemba Raya campus the largest in the group.

Further information

If you want more information about the school, contact them directly at (021) 3918931, 3904858, 3906447, or logon to their homepage at http://www.rad.net.id/yai.htm on the world wide web.