Enviro News Asia, Surakarta – The Faculty of Agriculture at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta has established a partnership with PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Tbk (PT SMART Tbk) to support the development of the palm oil industry in Indonesia.
The cooperation agreement was signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at UNS, Prof. Dr. Ir. Samanhudi, and Lilianawati, Head of HR Central Business Services (Authorized Director) of PT SMART Tbk. The signing was also attended by Yudi Heriyadi, Lead HRBP Upstream Operations; Tiara Aninditia, Development Program Recruiter Team Lead; and Pradjna Dewi Y., HR Staff and Employer Branding representative.
According to a press release from Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta, the signing ceremony was held in person at the Supratoyo Building Meeting Room of the Faculty of Agriculture, UNS, last week.
Lilianawati expressed hope that this collaboration would encourage greater student involvement in the palm oil industry. “Through this program, students will be trained and could even receive a ‘Golden Ticket’ opportunity to become employees at our company,” she stated.
She also emphasized that the partnership should be mutually beneficial and impactful. “In the future, we hope to develop more collaborative programs between the university and the company to fulfill workforce needs, especially for graduates from Universitas Sebelas Maret,” she added.
The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at UNS, Prof. Samanhudi, expressed his appreciation for the cooperation agreement with PT SMART Tbk. “The realization of this partnership stems from our previous visit to PT SMART Tbk. Thankfully, the company responded positively by following up with this agreement,” he said.
He further explained that the Faculty of Agriculture at UNS is committed to supporting the palm oil sector in Indonesia by preparing relevant courses and internship programs in the industry. “We recognize that the palm oil industry in Indonesia requires a large workforce. If we do not equip our students with the necessary skills to meet industry demands, we will struggle to compete with other universities. Therefore, the Faculty of Agriculture at UNS will introduce specialized courses on palm oil and increase the number of students interning at palm oil companies,” he added.
This collaboration between UNS and PT SMART Tbk in the palm oil sector serves as evidence of the university’s commitment to supporting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17: ‘Partnerships for the Goals.’
