THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TOWARD GRADUATES JOB-READINESS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN BANDUNG

Abstract
Development of higher education needs to be reoriented in order to face heavy challenges. Many fresh graduates have not been able to acquire jobs. The striking difference between lives on campus compared to the world of work lessened their ability to adjust to it after graduation. Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said Indonesia's unemployment rate in February 2012 reached 6.32 % or about 7.61 million people. The high rate of unemployment has caused a shift in the role of higher education institutions from the knowledge creator approach to a competitive approach. Hence, universities are required to produce quality graduates prepared to compete in order to be ready for the work force. To carry out those demands is to improve the quality and skills of the graduates to be ready by including an internship program into the curriculum in college. The research method used is descriptive research that describes the relationship between the variables in research and further analyzed statically to later obtain a conclusion. In addition, the explanatory survey was also used, namely to explain the causal relationship between the independent variables with the dependent variable through hypothesis testing. Based on the result, the influence of the internship program has a positive point toward graduate’s job readiness. This means the internship program, which included in curriculum in higher education institution can provide graduates whom are ready to work with the same qualifications as the company expected. It also has benefits for the university, employers, and students to establish inter-university cooperation with the company, to facilitate the process of recruiting labor and experience gained by apprentices to prepare them to enter the work force.
Description
Keywords
Effectiveness of Internship Program,, Graduates Job Readiness, Higher Education Institutions
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