The high unemployment rate among high school graduates remains a significant issue in society. According to data from Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics in August 2024, the majority of the open unemployment—2.1 million people—were high school graduates. This situation calls for teachers to intensify their efforts in instilling the importance of entrepreneurial education among students.

To support teachers' competence in teaching Craft and Entrepreneurship subjects, the faculty team of Hayam Wuruk Perbanas University took the initiative to enhance entrepreneurship skills and institutional partnerships through training. This was conveyed by Prof. Dr. Nanang Shonhadji, S.E., M.Si., during an event titled Entrepreneurship Strengthening Training and Partnership Collaboration with Educational Institutions, held on Saturday (January 11).

According to Prof. Nanang, the event, targeted at teachers, particularly those from SMAN 21 Surabaya, aims to create a sustainable entrepreneurship program that teachers can later deliver to their students. “This is part of UHW Perbanas faculty’s community service program to fulfill social responsibility and contribute to the surrounding community,” he explained after the training at UHW Perbanas Wonorejo Campus.

To equip teachers with better skills in teaching entrepreneurship, the training included selected materials such as Entrepreneurship Development and Building Synergy with Industry in Entrepreneurship. “At SMAN 21 Surabaya, the P5 (Strengthening Pancasila Student Profiles Project) program includes entrepreneurship, so these materials are highly relevant. During the training, the teachers were very enthusiastic because the content resonated well with them,” he added.

Additionally, this entrepreneurship training could be an option for teachers approaching retirement. “When they are no longer actively teaching, they can prepare themselves by starting entrepreneurial ventures,” he suggested.

One of the training participants, Meinar Widhayati, S.E., appreciated the content delivered by the speakers, finding it highly beneficial and transferable to students at school. She stated that by the time students graduate, they would already have the foundational skills to start their own businesses.

“After this training, we’ve gained valuable insights into the entrepreneurial world. We hope that our students will understand the principles of entrepreneurship early on and apply them effectively,” said the Economics and Entrepreneurship teacher from SMAN 21 Surabaya. (pr/eko)