Sugianto PKL Center to Safeguard Younger Generation
Besides serving students, the PKL center also gives entrepreneurship instruction to businesspeople engaged in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME).
By
MOHAMMAD HILMI FAIQ
·6 minutes read
Sugianto feels he has enjoyed his life more than enough. It is now time to give back by helping students who are struggling to find guidance and developing skills. He provides assistance through the Field Practice (PKL) Center for Vocational School Students/College Students and Entrepreneurship School Students. His website is tempatpklmedan.com.
At noon on Tuesday (12/4/2022), over a dozen vocational high school (SMK) students were staring at their laptops. Some were editing videos while others were making reports and checking the numbers of viewers of certain uploaded topics. Sugianto was instructing them, paying attention and giving directions now and then.
Such was the atmosphere during field practice at the PKL Center for Students/College Students in Puri Zahara Complex, Medan Selayang subdistrict, Medan Tuntungan district, Medan city. So far, 58 school and college students have completed their PKL courses.
They came from several cities including Medan, Kutalimbaru (Deli Serdang) and Subulussalam (Aceh). That noon, Arofatul Ilma, a Kutalimbaru SMK student, was compiling a PKL report. He and his two peers were ready for the 1.5 hour motorcycle ride from their homes to the PKL meeting place.
Besides serving students, the PKL center also gives entrepreneurship instruction to businesspeople engaged in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). To date, fifteen classes or a total of 150 MSME business players have joined the center. These MSME owners have become Sugianto’s partners in developing the skills of public school and college students. In his class outing program, he takes public school and college students to observe and get directly involved in the process of business operation.
He also engages his trainees in MSME projects, and the income earned is distributed as a token of appreciation and at the same time an indication that while it is not easy, neither is it difficult to make money. In an example he cited, some MSME owners need assistance in optimizing their product promotion on social media or the internet. Sugianto gives directions as to what should be done. Some students help by photographing, designing and creating keywords that simplify potential customer internet searches, in the process known as search engine optimization (SEO).
“For budget allocation, we subsidize them. In a month they can earn a million rupiah, to be shared according to the number of people joining the project. So, I train those at this PKL center in skill development and its application,” said Sugianto.
At this PKL meeting place, Sugianto also builds the character of trainees to prepare them for their future lives. The main characteristic he inculcates is discipline, by asking all trainees to perform salat Duha (morning prayer) and read the Quran before learning. He has invited a recitation teacher, Ustaz Fauzi, who is also an MSME businessman, to help the students.
Sugianto wants his trainees to have a positive impact on the environment. Once a month, he directs them to remove waste from the housing complex. He also contributes an extra fund for five security officers in the complex. These measures have nearly reversed the impression of local residents, who previously protested against the PKL center’s activity.
He wants them to have a positive effect on residents.
PKL participants from other cities are obligated by Sugianto to stay in dormitories. He rents two houses in the complex for female and male students to live separately. All trainees are required to have their food catered by residents. For snacks, they also have to buy from residents’ stalls. He wants them to have a positive effect on residents.
Purely social effort
Sugianto, with a master’s degree in informatic engineering from North Sumatra University, was once a lecturer at Harapan University and is now lecturing at Sukma Management Science College, Medan. As an academician, he has been motivated to do something meaningful for young people.
With his previous experience as a trainer in Google and various other places, his aim is to do a lot more for those PKL students facing difficulty in finding adequate guidance. In his observation so far, field practice students have only been asked to help with photocopying files or wrapping up food.
At the same time, Sugianto is inspired to express gratitude to the state. This is because his wife, obstetrician-gynecologist Pebri Warita Pulungan, graduated as a specialist with a scholarship from the Educational Fund
Urip kudu urup (living should be shining),” he said, repeating his late mother’s advice.
Management Institute, which in his estimate was worth hundreds of millions of rupiah. She now is able to work and earn an abundant income. The scholarship was derived from public funds -- people’s money. Sugianto feels obliged to return it to the people. “I want to benefit many people. Urip kudu urup (living should be shining),” he said, repeating his late mother’s advice.
Therefore, the PKL center he manages is completely devoid of the profit principle. Even if income is earned, he returns it through program development or shares it with trainees who are involved. The operational cost of Rp 6 million (US$416.21) to Rp 7 million per month is completely covered by part of his salary as a lecturer and a subsidy from his wife’s income as a doctor.
When he was preparing to be a college student, Sugianto worked with a cyber booth and then learned coding, finally becoming a programmer. Now he is an instructor of the Digital Entrepreneurship Academy (DEA) Program under the Communications and Information Ministry. He is eager to spread his science, knowledge and experience to as many people as possible.
The very name of his website, tempatpklmedan.com, is one of his friendly and instructive creations. The reason is that when somebody searches for the PKL, the keywords typed out tend to be “tempat PKL Medan” (place of PKL Medan). So, tempatpklmedan.com will always be at the top of the search engine results. This is one of the bits of knowledge he shares for free.
Sugianto
Born:May 12, 1982
Education:
- BA, Telecommunication Engineering, Harapan Technological College Medan (now Harapan University Medan) (2008)
- MA, Informatic Engineering, North Sumatera University (2014)
Wife: Dr Pebri Warita Pulungan, SpOG
Children: two
Books:
- Teaching from Home: Dari Belajar Merdeka Menuju Merdeka Belajar (From free learning toward learning independently) (2020)
- Smart Entrepreneurship: Peluang Bisnis Kreatif dan Inovatif di Era Digital (Creative and innovative business opportunities in the digital era) (2020)
- Keamanan Data dan Sistem Informasi (Data and information system security) (2020)