An interview with Reda Mahmudi, in-company trainer at Siemens Indonesia
Siemens Indonesia was one of the first companies in Indonesia to take part in the GDVET program, German Dual Vocational Education & Training, certified and quality-controlled by EKONID. In April 2018, six apprentices of Siemens began their training in Industrial Mechanics at the Siemens factories in Cilegon and Pulomas. The apprentices have been trained at Siemens’ premises in 60% of the overall GDVET program duration gaining valuable practical knowledge and experiences. The remaining 40% are composed of the theoretical education part - adjusted to German standard - in the public vocational school SMK 26 Jakarta.
Reda Mahmudi, an in-company trainer at Siemens Indonesia, shared with us his perspective on GDVET as well as his experiences with the apprentices in the company.
What is Siemens' and your personal motivation of participating in the German Dual Vocational Education & Training (GDVET) Program in Industrial Mechanics, certified by EKONID, as a training company and in-company trainer?
At Siemens, we strongly believe that it is impossible to build a sustainable business without taking part in the lives of the community. That means businesses have responsibilities for economic and social development and that businesses must add lasting values to the countries and communities they work in. This requires us to measure corporate success by much more than profit. That is why we have provided vocational education and training (VET) in over 20 different countries, including Indonesia.
Siemens Indonesia, together with the German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (EKONID) and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, has started a similar initiative for its factories in Cilegon and Pulomas in 2017 with the first batch consisting of six industrial mechanics students of the Indonesian public vocational school SMK 26 Jakarta. This is a major step towards fast-tracking industrial development by promoting skill-based learning and industry-readiness among the youth in the Digitalization era. Through this initiative, Siemens Indonesia also proactively support the Government of Indonesia in improving its workforce and strengthen the company image as one of the best employers in Indonesia.
My personal motivation as an in-company trainer is to share my knowledge and experience about the industrial electricity with apprentices. I hope that they can become competent workers, which are ready for the real work-life after they graduate from vocational high school. Also, I feel proud to be a part of the first dual vocational education program in Indonesia.
What are your experiences with the apprentices so far in the practical training part that Siemens provides in the GDVET Program?
First of all, to be a mentor to the apprentices is one of the best experiences because we are providing market-relevant training that improves their chances to be hired faster in the labor market.
The training that we provide consists of 60% practical training (at Siemens) and 40% theoretical training (mainly in the school premises) of the overall 2,5-year program. We provide training that is tailored to the subjects that they have previously learned in school up to the fourth semester, such as making components with conventional machines such as drilling, lathe and milling machines as well as welding skills with Flux Core Arch Welding (FCAW), handling the materials, and assembling goods.
It is amazing to see the transformation of the students at the various stages of the course. They experience many positive changes that give them an advantage compared to others at the workplace. This proves that the practical training helps them to develop the skillsets needed in companies like Siemens and provide them with acceptable and marketable certificates.
What are or will be, according to your personal expectation, the practical working fields the GDVET Program will more comprehensively qualify the apprentices in compared to the Indonesian Education Program?
The competition is always evolving, that is why we must make the apprentices ready for the real work situation. This is where the German-standard curriculum is needed, because it can help us to build their characters to suit the market needs.
The work-based education program covers the elements in which the Indonesian curriculum does not. The electrical and mechanical subjects are examples. This subject will have significant effect on apprentices, and I believe if they have this skill, then it will improve their chances to be hired faster in the labor market.
How did you prepare yourself for the role as a supervisor in the GDVET Program conducting the practical on-the-job education for the apprentices at Siemens?
As in-company trainer of the GDVET program, we need to lay down the objectives and the time structure of the training, instruct the apprentices in specialist issues, supervise the training and keep contact with the trainees’ parents and with the vocational school.
Therefore, EKONID required the in-company trainers from Siemens as well as the involved teachers from SMKN 26 to complete the one-week “Training of Trainers” course, certified by EKONID and following the German-standard course “Ausbildung der Ausbilder (AdA)”. This course is necessary because the trainer bears responsibility for ensuring training is conducted properly in place.