In October and November 2018, the HEAD Foundation conducted two workshops to enhance the leadership capacity of the Polytechnic sector in Indonesia and support MORTHE in institutionalising leadership development training for Polytechnics across Indonesia.

In support of Indonesia’s economic masterplan, the government is committed to developing and expanding its polytechnic sector to produce the technicians and engineers demanded by the economy. Besides increasing investment, the government has developed an agenda to transform the polytechnic sector by expanding institutions and improving the relevance and quality of programmes.

While it is widely recognised that leadership is a critical component of the polytechnic system, at present there is still no systematic leadership and management training designed especially for polytechnic leaders. Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (MORTHE), Project Management Unit (PMU) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), who jointly initiated the Polytechnic Education Development Project (PEDP), agree that an intensive and continuous leadership training programme for polytechnic leaders and future leaders is urgently needed. The HEAD Foundation was approached and had agreed to support the pilot run of a training programme focusing on polytechnic leaders in the middle management level.

The pilot run was conducted for Madhya (Middle) level trainees from 22 polytechnics over two sessions in October and November 2018, in Jakarta. They were facilitated by Dr N Varaprasad and Prof Ashok Kapoor from The HEAD Foundation and local trainers appointed by Training and Education Centre, Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency. Trainees were assigned a month-long assignment between the two sessions. The programme brought together polytechnic leaders from all over the country and encouraged them to create a strong bond among themselves.

View more photos from the programme below.