Indonesia has been predicted to lack of some 280 thousand engineers in the next five years. The great number of universities in the country cannot meet those demands while currently Indonesia is doing massive infrastructure works which needs a great number of engineers and thus became a destination country among foreign engineers.
“A number of countries have lobbied the Indonesian Engineers Association to enter into a project in the country,” said Deputy Head of the Association, Ir. Heru Dewanto, M.Eng., IPM., during the inauguration of 30 engineers who have completed professional engineers programme at UGM on Wednesday (7/3) in the Senate Hall.
Heru said in ten-year time the number of engineers required was 650 thousand. Meanwhile, the number of engineering graduates was just 14% while just half of them occupy an engineering job.
The Association is currently encouraging engineering certification, collaborating with 40 universities that are assigned by the government. Those that have earned a certification would be able to do engineering works in infrastructure, industrial and private projects. “These engineers will be able to work in the industry or work among society to give solution,” he said.
Rector of UGM, Prof.Ir. Panut Mulyono, M.Eng., D.Eng., said the new 30 engineers had done engineer profession programme at UGM in cooperation with the Association. He added the new engineers came from two faculties, 21 people from Faculty of Engineering and 9 Faculty of Animal Sciences.
Being an engineer himself, the Rector added that he would soon apply to attend the engineer profession programme to get the engineer profession certificate.
During the inauguration event, the graduates were presented a certificate by the Rector while the Deputy Head of the Association put a helmet on the head of one of the graduates. Among them was Dean of Faculty of Animal Sciences, Prof. Dr. Ir. Ali Agus.