Universitas Andalas Strengthens Industrial Collaboration in Batam to Support the Achievement of the SDGs

Batam, June 12, 2026 — Universitas Andalas held the 2nd Employer Meeting at Hotel HARRIS, Batam City, on Friday, June 12, 2026. The event served as a strategic forum to strengthen collaboration between the university and the business sector, industry, government, professional associations, alumni, and graduate users.

The event also reflected Universitas Andalas’ commitment to supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.

The forum was attended by the Rector of Universitas Andalas, Prof. Efa Yonnedi, Vice Rector IV of Universitas Andalas, Prof. Henmaidi, the head of EQUITY Program of Universitas Andalas, and the EQUITY Team. Also present were the Counsellor for Economic Affairs of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, representatives of the Batam City Government, KADIN Batam, APINDO Batam, the Indonesian Engineers Association of Batam City, IKA UNAND Batam, and industry players.

In his remarks and presentation, the Rector of Universitas Andalas stated that the Employer Meeting is part of the university’s effort to obtain direct input from stakeholders regarding graduate quality, competencies required by the labor market, and potential areas of cooperation that can be developed in the future.

The forum is in line with SDG 4: Quality Education, as it encourages the improvement of higher education quality through curriculum adjustment, the strengthening of project-based learning, industrial exposure, and the integration of professional certification into the learning process. Through input from the business and industrial sectors, Universitas Andalas seeks to ensure that its graduates possess competencies relevant to the needs of the labor market.

The Rector also presented the profile of Universitas Andalas, human resource development, the Universitas Andalas 2025–2045 development roadmap, as well as various achievements in research and innovation downstreaming. Several innovation products were introduced, including election ink, PCR-based rapid test reagents, and other downstream innovation products. These efforts strengthen Universitas Andalas’ contribution to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, particularly in promoting the utilization of research and innovation to address the needs of society and industry.

The Chairperson of KADIN Batam emphasized that industrial development in Batam is progressing rapidly. This situation requires strong support from universities in producing human resources with competencies that meet the current and future needs of industry.

Meanwhile, a representative of the Batam City Government presented Batam’s positive economic development. Batam’s economic growth in 2025 reached 6.70 percent, with a growth target of around 7 percent. Investment realization reached IDR 68 trillion and is estimated to have created approximately 60,000 jobs.

This condition demonstrates the strong relevance of the event to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, namely promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth through the preparation of graduates who are job-ready, adaptive, and competitive.

In his presentation, the Counsellor for Economic Affairs of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore emphasized the importance of bringing universities closer to the needs of the business and industrial sectors. Education, research, and innovation need to be directed toward addressing real-world challenges, such as health, food security, energy, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability.

He also highlighted Batam’s strategic position in Indonesia–Singapore economic relations, particularly in the sectors of data centers, subsea cables, semiconductors, high-tech manufacturing, the digital economy, and the green economy. These sectors open significant opportunities for Universitas Andalas to expand cooperation in education, research, downstreaming, competency development, and graduate placement.

Stakeholders also underlined the fundamental changes taking place in the world of work. Industries are increasingly prioritizing real competencies over formal degrees alone. Competencies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital technology, professional English communication, adaptability, lifelong learning, and learnability are becoming increasingly important for university graduates.

The Chairperson of APINDO Batam, Rafki Rasyid, stated that Batam’s industrial structure has shifted from labor-intensive industries toward automation-based and high-technology industries. He encouraged Universitas Andalas to become more proactive in building relationships with industries in Batam, particularly through internship programs, recruitment, industrial visits, and human resource development collaboration.

The Chairperson of the Indonesian Engineers Association of Batam City, Ir. Junaidi, also emphasized the importance of strengthening the engineering profession and competency certification. He encouraged cooperation between the Professional Engineer Program of Universitas Andalas, industries in Batam, and the Indonesian Engineers Association in the areas of engineer competency development, professional certification, and continuing education.

Responding to the various inputs delivered during the forum, the Rector of Universitas Andalas, Prof. Efa Yonnedi, stated that Universitas Andalas views the business and industrial sectors as important partners in strengthening the relevance of higher education. According to him, input from the government, professional associations, alumni, and industry players serves as an important foundation for the university in preparing graduates who possess not only academic knowledge, but also practical competencies, adaptability, and readiness to face changes in the world of work.

The Rector emphasized that Universitas Andalas will continue to strengthen link and match with industry through the development of a more responsive curriculum, the enhancement of internship and industrial practice programs, the strengthening of competency certification, and the expansion of research cooperation and innovation downstreaming. These measures are expected to strengthen Universitas Andalas’ contribution to producing excellent human resources while supporting sustainable economic growth.

According to the Rector, Batam holds a highly strategic position as a center of industry, investment, and the digital economy. Therefore, Universitas Andalas sees Batam as one of the key hubs for expanding collaborative networks in education, research, professional development, innovation downstreaming, and graduate placement in strategic sectors.

Meanwhile, the Chair of EQUITY Universitas Andalas, Dr. Eng. Muhammad Makky, S.T.P., M.Si., stated that the Employer Meeting serves as an important platform to connect industrial needs with the academic, research, and innovation capacities of Universitas Andalas. According to him, EQUITY functions as one of the university’s instruments to strengthen an impactful cooperation ecosystem, including through student and staff mobility, capacity building, research collaboration, and the downstreaming of innovation.

“Through this forum, Universitas Andalas is not only listening to the needs of industry, but also building a more concrete roadmap for collaboration. EQUITY plays a role in ensuring that cooperation does not stop at meetings, but continues through real programs such as industrial internships, competency certification, project-based learning, joint research, and innovation downstreaming,” said Muhammad Makky.

He added that strengthening networks with industries in Batam is highly relevant to the SDGs agenda, as it is directly related to improving the quality of education, creating decent work, strengthening innovation, and building strategic partnerships. According to him, Batam has a highly dynamic industrial ecosystem that can serve as a real-world laboratory for students, lecturers, and researchers of Universitas Andalas to develop competencies and innovations aligned with future needs.

“Industrial transformation requires universities to move faster and become more adaptive. Therefore, collaboration with KADIN, APINDO, PII, the government, alumni, and industry players is essential to ensure that Universitas Andalas graduates possess global competencies, professional skills, and readiness to enter strategic sectors,” he added.

The discussion forum also emphasized the importance of realizing the link and match concept between universities and industry. Students need to gain direct experience through field practice and interaction with industry, while lecturers also need to engage more closely with industry to understand technological developments and competency needs in the field.

During the closing session, KADIN Riau Islands expressed appreciation for the organization of the Universitas Andalas Employer Meeting in Batam. KADIN stated its readiness to become a strategic partner of Universitas Andalas in building relationships with the business sector through its business matching function.

The commitment of various parties in this forum reflects the spirit of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in achieving sustainable development. Through collaboration with the government, KADIN, APINDO, PII, alumni, and industry players, Universitas Andalas seeks to strengthen its contribution in education, research, innovation downstreaming, professional development, and graduate placement.

Through the 2nd Employer Meeting, Universitas Andalas reaffirmed its role as a university that not only produces graduates, but also builds a collaborative ecosystem to respond to industrial needs, strengthen human resource competitiveness, and contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the SDGs at both national and global levels.

This activity is funded by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) on behalf of the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and managed under the EQUITY Program (Contract No.4304/B3/DT.03.08/2025).