Indonesian engineers are expected to creatively and innovatively give added value to nation’s competitiveness.
“Engineers are expected to contribute to increasing science-technology based competitiveness in global level,” said Chairman of Association of Indonesian Engineers (PII), Dr. Ir. A. Hermanto Dardak, MSc. IPU, in a speech read out by its Executive Director, Ir. Rudianto Handojo, PPM., during the inauguration of 51 new engineers from Engineer Profession study programme at Senate Hall UGM on Tuesday (15/5).
Engineers are demanded to always make innovation for accelerating development whilst prioritising safety, security, and sustainability. They are also asked to update their knowledge in order that they can have international level competence.
He said the Association would be ready to cooperate by facilitating the development of Indonesian engineers. One of those is by encouraging engineer certification education along with universities, including UGM. Engineer professional education is expected to increase the number of professionals in the country. Currently, Indonesia still lacks of a great number of engineers.
“The number of engineering graduates in Indonesia is just around 14%, lower than those in Korea 38%, China 33%, and Malaysia 25%,” he said.
Meanwhile, Vice-Rector for Education, Teaching and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Djagal Wiseso Marseno, M.Agr., said UGM had the commitment to develop engineer professional programme, which has become a programme of excellence at UGM. The study programme is expected to increase the number of engineers.
Djagal mentioned that Indonesia could only generate 100 thousand of engineers each year, far below China (1.5 million) and India (1.2 million).
“There is a close correlation between profession and the progress of a nation. Statistically, China has advanced due to – among others – its professionalism,” he said.
He later asked the professional engineers to give bigger contribution to improve the nation’s competitiveness.
Of the total graduates in the inauguration, as many as 26 engineers come from Faculty of Engineering and 25 from Faculty of Animal Sciences. The inauguration is marked by handing over certificates symbolically by the Vice-Rector and Executive Director of PII.