When it comes to local human resources and competitiveness, it is clear that Indonesia lags far behind many other countries, ranking 90^th out of 118 countries in the 2017 Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) report.

The difference is vast especially when Indonesia is compared to fellow Southeast Asian nations Singapore and Malaysia, who rank 2^nd and 28^th respectively in the report.

In order to be parallel to developed countries, it is therefore in Indonesia’s interests to enhance its human resource competitiveness – a feat which will require concerted effort by various sectors in the country.

Tanoto Foundation, as a philanthropic organization, is doing its part accordingly to support the improvement of human resources in Indonesia via the education sector.

“Tanoto Foundation focuses on the education sector because we believe that education is the key to building a better future for Indonesia,” said Anderson Tanoto, member of the Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees.

One step which Tanoto Foundation has recently taken to support education is by establishing a vocational diploma program in pulp and paper at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Riau University in Indonesia, in collaboration with APRIL subsidiary PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP).

The agreement was established during a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Tanoto Foundation, RAPP, and Riau University on January 21, 2018.

Indonesian Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto was present to witness the signing.

Under the MoU, Tanoto Foundation and APRIL thereby supports the development of Riau University as a centre of excellence in building competent human resources for the local pulp and paper industry.

“This support represents Tanoto Foundation’s commitment to strengthen the correlation between education competencies and industry expectations (in Indonesia), thereby increasing employment opportunities,” Anderson explained.

Tanoto Foundation provides various forms of education support, including both ‘software’ and ‘hardware’.

In terms of software, the Foundation provides training, research, scholarships, and guest lectures. As for hardware, the Foundation constructs lecture facilities which include classrooms and laboratories, as well as other facilities which comprise a value of IDR 24.8 billion.

“I would like to express my appreciation to Tanoto Foundation and RAPP who are supporting the formation of competent human resources in Indonesia by involving the universities in Riau,” Airlangga said.

Indonesia holds a significant position within the global pulp and paper industry, ranking 10^th in the world in the pulp industry and 6^th in the world in the paper industry.

Within Asia, Indonesia ranks 3^rd in the pulp and paper industry.

Tanoto Foundation partner school Global Andalan Estate Baserah Private Elementary School, last year won a prestigious district-level Adiwiyata School award in Kuantan Singingi of Indonesia’s Riau province.

Adiwiyata is one of the Ministry of Environment’s programs aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness among students in Indonesia about environmental conservation.

Kuantan Singingi Mayor Dr. H. Mursini and Vice Mayor H. Halim presented the award during Kuantan Singingi’s 18^th anniversary celebration in October 2017.

“The key to success in receiving the Adiwiyata School award wass the shared commitment between the teachers, students, and school committees,” said Anidar, Head of Global Andalan Estate Baserah Private Elementary School.

Tanoto Foundation holds various training activities at the primary school, one of which is the Pelita ASRI (Healthy, and Environment Friendly). The training is in line with initiative of making Global Andalan Estate Baserah an environmentally-friendly school.

Environment-relevant activities are also continuously implemented, such as the processing of organic waste, the making of garbage banks and greenhouses, and vegetable planting by the students. Each class is given a plot of land to be used for planting purposes, and they are the ones responsible for managing it.

The purpose of the field management activity is to hone students’ technical agriculture expertise and to enhance their environmental awareness.

The district-level Adiwiyata award is a momentous achievement which is expected to further drive the spirits of the students and teachers to replicate the success at a regency level.

Currently, the Global Andalan Estate Baserah Private Elementary School also runs the Eco Techno Park program, an environmentally-friendly gardening program which incorporates technology use.

The annual Tanoto Scholars Gathering (TSG) event, which gathers all the Tanoto Scholars from across Indonesia on one place once a year, is one that is worth remembering.

Besides allowing Tanoto Scholars to build networks, the TSG also provides participating scholars with the opportunity to learn many lessons which can help them become future leaders.

Last year’s TSG 2017 was held in Pangkalan Kerinci in Indonesia’s Riau province from November 22 to 25. More than 250 Tanoto Scholars from 21 different universities enthusiastically participated in the four-day event.

“I really enjoyed the community service activities at the Buatan Baru elementary school on the first day. We made biopori holes and planted trees with the students there. This enhanced our awareness about how important it is for us to protect the environment,” said Abigail Flavia Dominilla, a Tanoto Scholar from Mulawarman University.

Agastyan Akbar, a Tanoto Scholar from Diponegoro University, expressed an interesting sentiment, saying that the art performance (held during the event) was very challenging for him.

For the performance, Agastyan and his friends had to spend almost a month creating a concept and training. During the process, they had to work together and help each other. Agastyan’s hard work was rewarded as he was named the best performer in the art performance.

Another Tanoto Scholar, Bella Fista of Andalas University, said she was very interested when she had the chance to visit the RGE Technology Center.

“I gained new insights when I saw the research and development centre there. I was able to view research which is conducted regularly and the latest technology which is in line with my educational background,” said the pharmacy student.

Meanwhile, Hengki Setiawan, a Tanoto Scholar from Jambi University, said he enjoyed the public speaking classes held during the TSG most.

As a student who is active in extracurricular activities on campus, public speaking is very useful to him as he has to use the skill when he is conducting discussions or organizing meetings.

We hope to see you at the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2018. Various interesting activities lie ahead for our Tanoto Scholars!