Hello, everyone! Himawan is here, Strategic Learning Partner Manager based in Indonesia. As I have shared in one of my previous stories, my journey at 24Slides started with an internship program. Little did people know that we have more than just the internship program to give back to the educational community.
I believe the later stages of education were where I started preparing for my professional career. For me, education is more than just learning. It is about getting ready to join a new ecosystem.
Schools and universities are where talent is developed at an early stage, so it always excites me whenever 24Slides is involved in programs outside business purposes, especially in education-related areas. I see these opportunities to give back to the educational community, and today I want to share that with you!
Collaboration with the Educational Community
An internship program is one of the most common collaborations between a company and schools/universities. This is where students gain professional experience, while companies offer them opportunities to learn and contribute.
Moreover, most collaborative programs and even partnerships start from here. Once we strengthen our bond with the schools as an industry partner, they tend to build a continuous relationship with us. We have even signed long-term agreements with some schools/universities as a commitment to providing and improving education quality together.
However, the networking does not just start from the internship program. Sometimes, employees connect us with schools/universities as alumni. Sometimes, the educational institutions just approach us through various channels. All in all, I am grateful to have helped establish the network, especially during the years I managed the internship program at 24Slides.
Sharing Knowledge
We believe the community approaches us knowing that we have knowledge, experience, and culture to share. Moreover, one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that we support is “Quality Education“. Of course, we are more than willing to collaborate and give back to the educational community.
There have been different kinds of activities where we introduce our company to students while sharing relevant knowledge. The most common one is an industrial visit, where students and their teachers/lecturers visit our office. They would have an office tour and sharing sessions.
We are also sometimes invited to schools/universities to deliver training, workshops, or guest lectures. The topics would vary, from general company profile to specific expertise – especially presentation design. Also, I once facilitated a class about general presentation design and preparation for an independent study group at my university (yes, I was employed before graduating).
Even before joining the People Development team, I have participated in several visits as a speaker, facilitator, or company representative. After that, I began contributing even more frequently and with greater impact. Not only by taking part in events, but also by having strategic communication with stakeholders.
Established channel of Information
Once we have built the relationship and keep maintaining it with the schools/universities, the channels of information began to expand and extend. Students hear about us more often through events and recommendations by their teachers/lecturers. It also benefits us as a form of indirect employer branding. The most important thing is that our collaboration programs run even more smoothly.
Even active interns naturally help in introducing us to their college mates and school/university. This is crucial in maintaining continuous collaboration, as some schools have their students joining (or at least applying for) our internship program for years.
Yunis (now a Designer) shared his experience of being featured on his university’s podcast during his internship in 2022. He shared his insights on graphic design and internship matters with his fellow students. “I got to share information about the existence of a decent company for an internship program in Malang”, he added.
One thing that I am so grateful for is that I could finally renew our connection with the vocational school that has been producing many talents for us, which also happens to be my alma mater. SMK Negeri 4 Malang is a vocational high school where I studied graphic design. Currently, they have 35 alumni working at 24Slides in various roles. Despite having partnerships with many schools and universities across several cities (even in different countries), we have never had any interns from SMKN 4 Malang.
I started reaching out to them more actively two years ago, and they responded enthusiastically. It was also so nice to see the familiar faces of the teachers when we got invited as guests on a talk show at the school last year. This year, for the first time ever, they have a student interning at 24Slides.
Last year was the last time I managed the internship program as it was being handed over to the Talent Acquisition team. I have learned a lot from the internship programs and the people involved in the process as well. I gained new experience in talent development, collaboration, and networking across various communities. Now is the time for me to take on new responsibilities and pass the program’s torch.
We Keep Growing
‘We Keep Growing’ is one of our core values. At 24Slides, it is a must for us to have a continuous learning and improvement mindset, but I believe it would be even more wonderful if we could inspire people around us with the same value.
I hope I can keep giving back to the educational community endlessly.
