Vocational High School (SMK) is a secondary educational institution tasked with preparing its graduates to be ready for work according to their competencies. With the advancement of science and technology, especially in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, every sector is required to develop in line with industrial developments, ranging from technology to work culture applied in industries. The success of SMK in producing middle-level workforce graduates who have skills and abilities to compete in the industrial world is greatly influenced by various factors when students go through the learning process at school.
In 2016, Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2016 on the Revitalization of Vocational High Schools was issued to improve the quality and competitiveness of human resources in Indonesia. The success of the SMK revitalization program certainly requires support from all stakeholders, both at the central and regional levels. The role of the School Principal is crucial in the effort to succeed the SMK revitalization program. The strong character of the school principal can bring tremendous benefits to the SMK. The school principal can act as a motivator, innovator, organizer, and controller in the implementation of learning in the SMK. The school principal must also be able to create strategies or policies to bring teachers, employees, and students to have strong characters, skills, creativity, innovation, imagination, sensitivity to local wisdom, and entrepreneurship.
In connection with this, the Ministry of Education and Culture developed the Vocational High School Principal’s Managerial Capacity Improvement Program based on Industry so that the School Principal can position himself in the school not only as a School Principal but also as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the school. Universitas Prasetiya Mulya then attempted to contribute to this activity in order to achieve goals not only at the ministry level but also far-reaching towards the nation and state.
The program, originally named “Vocational School Principal’s Capability and Managerial Improvement Program based on Industry,” is a collaboration between the School of Business and Economics, Prasetiya Mulya University, with the Directorate of Business and Industrial Partnership and Coordination (Mitras DUDI), Directorate General of Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Culture. Universitas Prasetiya Mulya is one of the five universities appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture to manage this program. The training participants who underwent the CEO SMK Program process at Universitas Prasetiya Mulya from start to finish and were declared graduates were 86 Vocational School Principals from all over Indonesia. The trust given is appealing because it is in line with what Universitas Prasetiya Mulya aspires to as a pioneer in MBA programs and leading business schools in Indonesia.
Universitas Prasetiya Mulya has a mission to transform lives through innovative education and entrepreneurship, research, and community service by utilizing local wisdom and values for the advancement and prosperity of the nation. Therefore, this mission is very suitable to respond to the trust given. Let’s take a look at the objectives of the CEO SMK Program.
The purpose of this program is to (1) Improve the ability of SMK principals to make changes in responding to the dynamics of the industrial, business, and work world (IDUKA), ranging from long-term planning to policy implementation; and (2) Improve the entrepreneurship skills of SMK principals. Universitas Prasetiya Mulya seeks to address these objectives by dedicating educational quality that does not only stop at delivery but also involves close connections and the joy of learning between SMK principal participants, facilitators, instructors, and committees.
This program is carried out over a fairly long period of 62 effective days, creating an intensive atmosphere in learning even though it is delivered in two modes, namely online and offline (blended learning). The learning methods themselves are quite varied, such as games, interactive discussions based on concepts and case studies, full concepts with Mini MBA modules, practical exercises in drafting Innovative School Development Project Plans, practical implementation of innovative projects, and certification exams. Quite diverse, right? But one thing is the key advantage of Universitas Prasetiya Mulya in this program, which is engagement. We believe that excellent service and a personal approach to participants will build comfort in learning. We dedicate a team ready to activate communication networks (WhatsApp Group) and meet the needs of participants.
So, what is the journey of the CEO SMK Program at Universitas Prasetiya Mulya like?
We received 90 names of Vocational School Principals from all over Indonesia, who were then introduced and divided into 3 (three) large classes. Time passed, and we started with an opening directly delivered by the Rector of Universitas Prasetiya Mulya, Prof. Dr. Djisman S. Simandjuntak, Ph.D. An exciting moment in this program was when we, together with the participants, started online learning after the opening with virtual outbound activities.
Virtual outbound? We were not sure at first, but chemistry was immediately established with the participants through pre-planned games. We laughed together, learned together, and built bonds with each other. We continued with the process of distributing the “entrepreneurial managerial and leadership concept” learning modules to the SMK principal participants for reading material and discussions with facilitators. Eventually, the online learning concluded with assistance in creating Innovative School Development Project Plans.
Virtual outbound? We were not sure at first, but chemistry was immediately established with the participants through pre-planned games. We laughed together, learned together, and built bonds with each other. We continued with the process of distributing the “entrepreneurial managerial and leadership concept” learning modules to the SMK principal participants for reading material and discussions with facilitators. Eventually, the online learning concluded with assistance in creating Innovative School Development Project Plans.
Virtual closeness seemed insufficient, so we continued to offline learning held at one of the hotels in South Jakarta, namely Hotel Kristal, Cilandak District. After the opening by Mr. Fathony Rahman, DBA, Dean of the School of Business and Economics, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya, offline learning was delivered through game sessions to give participants the opportunity to get to know each other and facilitators more deeply. Once again, we were forced to laugh together because of the enthusiasm and humor of the Vocational School Principals who were very excited to play with the facilitators.
We had no difficulty in making the classroom atmosphere lively and warm. The process continued until we reached more serious sessions, namely the delivery of Mini MBA materials and the CEO meet ‘CEO’ forum. In these two key sessions, we invited participants to get to know our senior Faculty Members for interactive discussions regarding concepts explained, ranging from CEO Characteristics, Strategic Management and Performance, Innovation Management, Personal Mastery and Entrepreneurial Leadership, HR Management and Change, and System Thinking for Decision Making. For the CEO meet ‘CEO’ forum, we offered quite varied alternatives of speakers from CEOs of large, medium, and small companies so that learning aspects could align with collaborative opportunities that could be built among CEOs.
The next session was where participants were facilitated to develop Innovative School Development Project Plans, which were then given the opportunity to implement them for 25 days at their respective schools. Many discussions were built during the implementation process, and once again, we saw the persistence of the Vocational School Principals and their enthusiasm with various motivations driving them to develop their schools. Finally, we and the Vocational School Principals met at the culmination of the activity, namely the certification exam to jointly assess their ideas and ‘temporary’ achievements (Graduation Certificate). Moving forward, the plans built are not only limited to 25 days but possibly to answer the future of schools for 5 years or even decades ahead in order to create graduates who are truly capable of getting closer to the development of IDUKA (Industrial and Work World).
