Engaging With Industry Through Internships in Order to Acquire the Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes for the World of Work: The Indonesian Student Experience

Abstract

Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) aims to prepare Indonesia’s future generation of students by encouraging a learning process that facilitates the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for the world of work. This research examined the learning experience of Indonesian students who participated in a recent ‘internship program’. It examines their developing perspectives as they sought meaningful experiences that could provide them with the confidence to enter the environment of professional work. The study used a qualitative data collection and analysis method which involved a survey of 107 University of Malang students and involved conducting individual and focus group discussions in order to ascertain the student’s individual perspectives on learning. Our research seeks to identify improvements that could be made to the program in order to enhance the learning experience for the students, university management, industry partners and Indonesian educational policy makers.