InfoSAWIT, YOGYAKARTA – The Institut Pertanian STIPER (INSTIPER) has officially deployed 671 students to participate in its 2026 Industrial Internship Program, reaffirming the university's commitment to producing industry-ready graduates through closer collaboration with the plantation and forestry sectors.
The official send-off ceremony was held at the GRHA INSTIPER field in Yogyakarta on Thursday (July 30, 2026), marking the start of one of the university's flagship industry engagement programs.
The internship initiative is part of INSTIPER's effort to strengthen the link-and-match approach between higher education and industry while implementing an impact-oriented curriculum designed to equip students with practical skills before graduation.
INSTIPER Rector Dr. Harsawardana emphasized that internships are far more than an academic requirement.
"An internship is an opportunity for students to develop professional competence, understand workplace culture, and demonstrate their capabilities in a real industrial environment. We expect every participant to maintain the good reputation of INSTIPER wherever they are assigned," he said in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT on Friday.
The 2026 program consists of two schemes. A total of 231 students (34.4%) joined through the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) competitive internship program, while 440 students (65.6%) participated through the regular internship pathway.
According to Internship Committee Chair Dr. Maria Ulfah, participants will be placed in 79 partner companies across Indonesia. The palm oil industry continues to dominate student preferences, with 572 students, or 85.25% of all participants, assigned to 52 palm oil companies, including major industry players such as Sinar Mas, Karyamas, Astra Agro Lestari, and several state-owned plantation enterprises.
The remaining students will undertake internships at companies operating in sugarcane, rubber, tea, coffee, cocoa, horticulture, food crops, and forestry.
Maria noted that the overwhelming interest in palm oil companies reflects INSTIPER's longstanding relationship with the sector.
"The distribution of internship placements once again demonstrates why INSTIPER deserves to be recognized as The Best Palm Oil University," she said.
Students will be placed across 18 provinces, with Central Kalimantan hosting the largest number of interns (165 students), followed by North Sumatra (117) and West Kalimantan (105).
In addition to gaining hands-on industrial experience over a period of four to six months, students are also required to carry out community service activities in their host regions, enabling them to share knowledge acquired during their studies while contributing to local communities.
Most participants are scheduled to begin their internships on August 4, 2026, although several companies—including Wilmar Group, PT Muria Sumba Manis, PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk, and PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources & Technology Tbk—have already started receiving interns under their respective schedules.
Through partnerships with dozens of companies nationwide, INSTIPER continues to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry while preparing graduates with the technical expertise, adaptability, and professional experience required by Indonesia's plantation, agriculture, and forestry sectors. (T2)
