The Covid-19 pandemic did not prevent Yogyakarta State University from greeting and welcoming new students for the 2020/2021 academic year. A series of PKKMB activities have been passed, starting from the University level, displaying the Student Activity Unit (UKM). Now it's the turn of the UNY Vocational Community to greet new students online at the Wates Campus Academic Services Building Auditorium on Thursday (16/8).

The activity entitled "PKKMB Vocational UNY" is intended for new students from the Wates Vocational Campus and the Gunung Kidul Vocational Campus. This activity aims to introduce Vocational Education and introduce more deeply the Vocational Campus of UNY Wates and Vocational Campus of UNY Gunungkidul starting from lectures, laboratories, facilities, and other supporting infrastructure. The resource persons in this introduction activity are Dr. Ir. Widarto, M.Pd., Head of UNY Wates Campus Management and Dr. Slamet Suyanto, M.Ed., Head of UNY Gunungkidul Campus Management.

Widarto before giving a presentation about the Vocational Campus of UNY Wates, he explained that new students need enlightenment on what is meant by vocational education so that the selection of study programs can be appropriate to their interests so that later students will be happy and earnest in improving competence.

“Vocational education is education that prepares graduates to be ready to work. Vocational education is organized according to market needs. The vocational education curriculum is relevant to the competencies required in the industry. The success or failure of vocational education is determined by the mastery of skills (hands on). The key to vocational education is to have a close relationship with the world of work. Vocational education must be responsive to the development of science and technology,” said Widarto.

Skills formed in vocational learning are not only muscle skills. “Skilled understanding in vocational education is skill in muscles, skill in thought and skill in heart. These three things will be familiarized on the UNY Vocational campus so that it becomes a habit (habit) and eventually becomes a culture.” Add Widarto.

The Head of the Wates Campus Management also stated that studying in vocational education means learning to work, more learning by doing, therefore the ratio between theory and practice should be 40%: 60%, even up to 30:70%. material on the characteristics of vocational students towards a professional workforce.

"The characteristics of vocational students are first, they must have a productive, innovative, and competitive work ethic that is needed by the world of work, second, vocational students must be disciplined, in practice, practice systematic and logical thinking, and lastly, vocational students must be honest, diligent , commitment, and have the ability to work as a team (team work).” said Widarto.

The head of the UNY Wates Vocational campus manager further explained the lecture process, facilities, facilities and infrastructure to support lectures at the Wates Campus.

Widarto also noted that students are said to be successful in lectures if they meet 5 indicators, namely, high GPA, short study period, short waiting period, work according to field of study and high salary.

The next activity was listening to the material from the second speaker, Dr. Slamet Suyanto, M.Ed., the head of the management of the Gunungkidul Vocational Campus. congratulated the new students, "Welcome to the 2nd floor of UNY campus", Slamet joked. Not without reason, the Gunungkidul Vocational Campus has recently been called the 'Second Floor UNY' campus because geographically it is located in Gunung Kidul Regency, which is known as the 'Second Floor Jogja'.

"The purpose of vocational education is to produce graduates who are ready to work, are multi-entry multi-exit or can enter and leave according to the competencies desired by students, establish collaboration with industry so that learning is not only on campus according to the independent learning curriculum which is 3 semesters of study outside campus. Vocational education is different from other education where guest lecturers come from the industrial and business worlds”. Obviously Slam.

The head of the UNY Gunungkidul Vocational campus manager further explained the lecture process for the facilities, facilities and infrastructure to support lectures at the Gunungkidul Campus. At the end of the event, a question and answer session was held via teleconference to the speakers. (aew)