According to Ministry of Industry data, currently, the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia has reached 3.1% of the entire population. This ratio has exceeded international standards which set at 2%. However, that is not enough to lead Indonesia to become a developed country.
Our neighborhood countries have a higher ratio of entrepreneurs. For example, in Singapore, there are 7% of all residents who become entrepreneurs. Malaysia reaches 5%. In other developed countries, such as Japan and the United States, there are more than 10% of the population who are entrepreneurs.
In order to become a developed country, according to the Ministry of Industry, Indonesia needs to print 4 million new entrepreneurs. One place to create new entrepreneurs is a university. For this reason, universities in Indonesia must become an Entrepreneurial University.
An effort is being carried out by seven universities in Indonesia to achieve their vision of creating new entrepreneurs. The seven universities are President University, Padjajaran University, Semarang State University, Indonesian Islamic University (Yogyakarta), Ahmad Dahlan University, Brawijaya University, and STIE Malangkucecwara.
“Indonesia needs many new entrepreneurs to reduce the unemployment rate,” said Prof. Ismunandar, Director General of Learning and Student Affairs, Ministry of Research and Technology of Higher Education, in a discussion entitled “Pendidikan dan Kewirausahaan dan Usulan Kebijakan bagi Perguruan Tinggi Indonesia” held by the Kemenristekdikti Office, Thursday, June 20 2019.
To achieve this goal, seven universities in Indonesia collaborate with four universities from Europe, which are the University of Gloucestershire (UK), Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland), Fachhochschule des Mittelstandes (Germany), and University of Innsbruck (Austria). They formed a consortium and collaborated through a collaborative project called Growing Indonesia – a Triangular Approach or GITA project. The project is funded by Erasmus, a commission in the European Union that supports various activities in the fields of education, training, youth, and sports in various countries.
As seen from the name, triangular words refer to the three approaches used in the GITA project. The approach includes the development of effective collaborative relationships between universities and companies, implanting entrepreneurial spirit in all stakeholders at the university, and building new companies from ideas and innovations that contribute to the local and regional economy.
Prof. Neil Towers from the School of Business & Technology, University of Gloucestershire said, “It is important to incorporate entrepreneurship education into the university curriculum and assess what challenges arise in implementing these strategies institutionally.” Towers, who is also Chair for the GITA project, also became speaker in the discussion arena.
Through the GITA project, the seven universities in Indonesia will become growth hubs, namely as a place for academics, students, alumni, startups, and companies to gather, share ideas and collaborate. In addition, the GITA project will also involve micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who will share their experiences on entrepreneurship.