Universitas Andalas Prepares Prospective Graduates for the Digital-Era Workforce in Support of SDG 4 and SDG 8

Universitas Andalas once again organized a preparatory session for prospective graduates of the first graduation period of 2025 at the Auditorium of the Limau Manis Campus on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. This initiative is closely related to SDG 4 on Quality Education and SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, as the program was designed to strengthen graduates’ readiness to enter the workforce and enhance their competitiveness amid the increasingly digital transformation of the professional world.

This year’s session carried the theme “Career Readiness and Employability: Ready for a Career, Building Competitiveness in the Digital Era.” Through this theme, Universitas Andalas encouraged prospective graduates not only to complete their academic journey, but also to prepare themselves for the evolving demands of the job market. The event featured Lala Septiyani Sembiring, M.Psi., Psikolog, an academic and practitioner in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, as well as Vivi Amelia, M.Psi., Psikolog, an academic and practitioner in Clinical Psychology.

During the session, Vivi Amelia emphasized the importance of soft skills in determining a person’s success. She explained that success is shaped not only by hard skills, but also by strong mentality, leadership, teamwork, management, and communication abilities. At the same time, she stressed that hard skills remain essential, especially as technological advancement has made job opportunities increasingly oriented toward the digital world, requiring graduates to master technology in order to strengthen their competencies.

Meanwhile, Lala Septiyani Sembiring highlighted two important aspects that prospective graduates need to prepare before entering the workforce, namely developing an attractive CV and being ready for job interviews. In addition, foreign language proficiency was identified as another important asset to improve graduates’ competitiveness in an increasingly demanding labor market. This emphasis on both technical and personal readiness shows that the transition from campus life to the professional world requires comprehensive preparation.

On the occasion, Vice Rector I of Universitas Andalas, Prof. Dr. Syukri Arief, M.Eng., affirmed that every graduate needs to possess character and experience in addition to knowledge and skills. According to him, the workplace demands not only academic competence, but also good character so that graduates can compete in a healthy and professional manner. For this reason, the preparatory session has become an important part of Universitas Andalas’ effort to produce graduates who are not only intellectually capable, but also ready to face workplace challenges with strong competitiveness.