Creative-Hub of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM has soft-launched the Community Entrepreneurship Academy (AKM) program. It is an innovative program that clones fresh graduates to become a socio-entrepreneurship actor in Indonesia.
Dean Dr. Erwan Agus Purwanto said that the Community Entrepreneurship Academy is an affordable ‘business school’ for community entrepreneurship development, especially in villages and remote areas. Fresh graduates are recruited and trained for a week before they are sent to villages throughout Indonesia to assist the community in developing entrepreneurship.
“In the cloning process, graduates are trained by successful socio-preneur actors in villages. After that, they are expected to become drivers of entrepreneurs in the designated places,” said Erwan at Digilib Cafe at the Faculty on Monday (7/9).
As many as 1,262 applicants from all over Indonesia joined the First Batch of Community Entrepreneurship Academy. From the selection process, 100 applicants are selected from 30 provinces to participate in the Batch 1 in Yogyakarta.
Erwan said the Creative-Hub launched the AKM program with several considerations, such as the lack of opportunity for villagers to study entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, formal education will cost a great deal of money.
In fact, the potential of commodities in villages has not been managed optimally. Villagers who have the potential are actually trapped in poverty.
“For that reason, we present an entrepreneurial school with disruptive, inexpensive, fast, applicative, and reachable characteristics. The appointed graduates are hoped to share various knowledge, skills, and networks needed for entrepreneurship development.
Rector of UGM, Prof. Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., welcomed the soft-launching. The program proves that UGM does not only evaluate sciences, technology, and social sciences, but also employs the results.
This program is expected to improve the economy of Indonesia, especially in rural areas. The program will certainly assist government in addressing employment issues.
“At times, graduates find it difficult to get a job, while the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia is far from enough.”
With the AKM program, Rector opined, villages will have the opportunity to improve their potential. Young generation in villages are expected to stop urbanize and contribute to economic growth in villages instead.
“If realized, it will be helpful to the government because it does not require formal employment. Technology disruption can help us in turning the economy,” he added.