USU PR – Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) strengthens its collaboration with PT Pegadaian. USU's Vice Rector III, Prof. Dr. Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt., held an audience with Beni Martina Maulan, Regional Head of PT Pegadaian, Kanwil I Medan, at the USU Rector's Audience Room on Wednesday (06/19/2024).

Prof. Dr. Poppy Anjelisa Zaitun Hasibuan, S.Si., M.Si., Apt., explained that the meeting serves as a follow-up to the long-standing collaboration. The partnership between USU and Pegadaian began with the establishment of the DGD Creative Lounge and student internship programs at Pegadaian. Currently, the cooperation is being expanded with additional activities, such as public lectures and socialization programs about Pegadaian.

"Today's audience session is part of the follow-up to a long-established collaboration. Today, we are adding more activities to the partnership with plans for a public lecture and a socialization program about Pegadaian," stated Prof. Poppy.

Furthermore, Prof. Poppy mentioned plans for a new project to enhance student competencies. The project is still in the planning and development phase, but it will form part of a structured and sustainable internship program between USU students and Pegadaian.

"We have discussed with the Rector and Mr. Beni about a new project to improve student competencies," added Prof. Poppy.

Meanwhile, Beni Martina Maulan, Regional Head of PT Pegadaian Kanwil I Medan, expressed hope that this collaboration could produce integrated and systematic programs to meet the human resource needs of Pegadaian, as the company now operates as a publicly accessible industry.

"We hope this collaboration can result in integrated and systematic proposals to fulfill human resource needs at Pegadaian since the company is now an industry open to the public," stated Beni.

Beni Martina Maulan also added that the internship program has been running annually, and they aim to add one specific competency to ensure that graduates are work-ready and can immediately contribute to Pegadaian. To achieve this, they plan to propose curriculum adjustments to USU to align with Pegadaian’s needs as the end-user.

"Our internship program has been running annually. We aim to add one specific competency so that when students graduate, they are work-ready and can directly contribute to Pegadaian," he explained.

The collaboration between USU and PT Pegadaian is expected to bring significant benefits in producing graduates who are work-ready and equipped with competencies tailored to industry needs. The planned internship program and public lecture mark a concrete step toward improving the quality of education and skills among USU students.

Author: Bambang Riyanto – PR
Interviewee: Prof. Poppy Anjelisa – Vice Rector III, USU
Photographer: Amri Simatupang – PR