Bridging the Gap Between Education & Work — Binar Academy’s Career Day Through the Eyes of a Fresh High School Graduate
The school system is terrible! Parents work hard to earn the money to send their children to school, students study hard for tests, and for what? To learn theories and information that aren’t applicable in the real world? To be stressed out and anxious because of studying? To hear your teacher say “ good job ” when you get your test back?
It is sad to see students stressed out for something that does not truly prepare them for work. The education system, especially the Indonesian education system, focuses mostly on memorizing information and mindlessly spitting them back out like a machine. Memorization does not teach critical or creative think along with other skills needed to succeed and get a job.
Schools also don’t help you find a job!
So, what is the solution?
Last week, I started my internship just in time to see Binar Academy’s batch 7’s mobile apps showcase. I had the chance to travel to Jogja with the Chief Business Development Officer of Binar Academy, Dita Aisyah. This batch’s theme at the academy was about art.
When we arrived at the event, the five teams were just getting ready to show off their application that they had been working on for the past 3 months! This showcase was not merely something they had to do to graduate from the academy, but they could potentially get a job from the judges.
What amazed me was that the apps that these people created solved real world problems! In other words, they were practical! From an app that can let you browse through local paintings in Jogja to an app that will order a band to play at your event, these ideas were incredibly creative!
After the judges had finished talking with each team, they gave two “ Golden Tickets” to two people in each team. I had the chance to speak to a few of the students to ask them about their experiences.
Mba Puji, a member of team E, told me just how grateful she is to have been able to be in Binar Academy. Previously, she worked as a radio announcer and had no background technological experience. She had just been divorced and was lost and confused as to what work she was going to do. Her friend then suggested her to join Binar Academy as a product manager. So she travelled from Semarang all the way to Jogja just to be in Binar Academy. Through this, she was able to “find [her] passion” in product management in technology. She literally told me that being in Binar was “a miracle” for her.
Next, I interviewed some of Binar’s hiring partners after they had their interviews with the golden ticket holders. Three representatives from Telkom sigma gave me their thoughts on the showcase and what they thought of Binar Academy.
What does Telkom Sigma think of Binar Academy and Career Hub?
Since Telkom Sigma needs to find many talents and resources, Binar Academy is extremely helpful in finding potentially skilled programers and tech product managers for them. Binar Career Hub makes their job scouting so much easier for them. They then expressed their interest in a long term relationship with Binar because of the consistent talent Binar produces.
What are some of the challenges Telkom Sigma face when hiring?
While Career Hub is great at connecting them to talents, these talents prefer to stay in Jogja. This poses a problem for them because their job may be based somewhere else. However, this problem has been solved. Binar Academy provides a co-working space, dubbed Hackerspace, where those who are hired can work remotely for Telkom Sigma and other hiring partners from Career Hub. Their only challenge is communicating with that worker remotely.
How would they rate Binar Academy and Career Hub out of 5 stars?
5 out of 5 stars.
After all I have heard, there wasn’t one person that hated this program. Sure there were problems and challenges, but isn’t life full of that? For the hiring partners, it might be the hiring someone that works remotely. For the students, sometimes members of the team quitting halfway through the project, and the others need to find a way to fill the gap to finish the application. However, all of these challenges are faced in the real world. People resign from their jobs very often, and sometimes at the most inconvenient times.
It puzzled me that Binar Academy was free of charge, but there was no system to hold people accountable to finish the program. I asked Mba Dita about this and she replied, “ It’s how we keep the quality of the students. Those who drop out do not have the drive to succeed. It’s like natural selection.”
It is part of the experience at Binar Academy to have people drop out, to have to try to hold each team member accountable, and to have to try to convince others to stay. Essentially, Binar Academy is a simulation of the working world.
After the day was over, I had much time to reflect on the many things I learned from this short 2 day trip in Jogja. Mostly I had to reflect on how amazing it is. It was crazy to think that something like this could exist. Taking someone that knows nothing about programming and then transforming them into a full fledged programmer in a span of 3 months is mind boggling to me. On top of that, they get it all for free!
As I enter my first year of college, I wonder whether the knowledge and skills I have been taught will be able to translate to finding and succeeding in work. Perhaps I am not the only one wondering whether the thousands of dollars invested into a college degree will be worth it.
What Binar Academy and its Career Hub is solving is actually a huge problem in education and employment. It is an effective way for students to gain practical knowledge to find and succeed in work. On the other hand, the companies are happy to find people that can work for them! Both parties are satisfied! In my opinion, this model is what more schools should take after.
Teaching students practical and up-to-date knowledge (that can be applied right away) and connecting them to employers, looking for the right people for the job, is the solution.
It is without a doubt my mind that Binar Academy is already changing lives, changing the status quo, and changing what it means to be a social enterprise. I’m looking forward to seeing the more social good Binar Academy can give to Indonesia in the years to come.
