University Of Nottingham Hosts The Closing Ceremony Of Inaugural International Programme For Indonesian Students
A brand-new scheme that saw a cohort of 39 Indonesian students receive engineering-related training at the University of Nottingham has been dubbed “a fantastic experience” as it comes to an end.
The Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) for Vocational Students programme is designed to bridge the gap between industry and education in Indonesia and saw 409 final-year students spend four months at universities across the globe.
Those who came to Nottingham received a bespoke, non-degree programme created by the university, which was made up of talks from academics and industry speakers, language classes, as well as visits to manufacturers of engineering products across the country including Airbus Broughton Facility, TT Electronics, TextureJet, and AECOM.
Not only have we endeavoured to deliver a programme with meaningful industrial relevance and experience, but we also wanted to try and ensure that all the students also received an inclusive, cultural experience.
Professor Pat Wheeler, Director of Global Engagement for the Faculty of Engineering
Professor Wheeler continued: “We are proud to have one of the largest numbers of Indonesian students in the UK, and this programme is key to continuing to nurture our growing links and collaboration with Indonesia.
“It has been a pleasure to host the students over the past four months and give them a taste of what life is like in Nottingham. We look forward to welcoming another cohort of IISMA awardees next year and wish this year’s group all the best in their future endeavours.”
Every IISMA awardee was assigned a student mentor to provide the opportunity for both parties to engage and learn from the other person’s culture. Together, they observed events such as national Batik Day, the day celebrating the traditional cloth of Indonesia, and Indonesian Youth Pledge Day, a monumental event in Indonesia’s struggle for independence.
My time at Nottingham has been a fantastic experience, made up of a combination of academic and extracurricular activities that will give me certain advantages in the social and educational spheres.
Audrey Kamah, an IISMA awardee
Audrey continued: “As I’m not an engineering student, I had initially anticipated I’d find the programme difficult, but it has turned out to be an incredibly positive experience as I got to learn about engineering in all its facets – from business engineering through to the relationship between engineering and the environment, and everything in between.
“Being able to participate in societies that share my interests – such as the United Nationals Society, Amnesty, and the Public Speaking Society – has been one of my favourite experiences as it has allowed be to gain valuable experience for my future profession, while also connecting me with local students. I’m going back home with a variety of new skills that I look forward to implementing moving forwards.”
The University of Nottingham is a long-standing partner of the Indonesian government through the UK-Indonesia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Sciences (UKICIS), which forms part of the UK-Indonesia Partnership Roadmap 2022-2024 that was ratified by Prime Minister Liz Truss and Minister Retno Marsudi.
Professor Khairul Munadi, Education Attaché for the Indonesian Embassy, said: “On behalf of the Embassy, we are grateful to the Indonesian Government and University of Nottingham. IISMAVO is an excellent program, not only does it provide students with learning experiences on a world-class campus and within the industry, but it also promotes Indonesia on a global stage through people-to-people contact.”
The programme was delivered by Dr Bagus Muljadi from the Faculty of Engineering and the coordinator of the UKICIS. IISMA at Nottingham is enabled, and fully supported by Institute for Aerospace Technologies, Power Electronics, Machines, and Control Research Group and their extensive industrial links.