ESTABLISH TECHNOPRENEURSHIP CURRICULUM IN EDUCATION PROGRAM TO ACHIEVE FULL AND PRODUCTIVE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

Created By: Sri Hindriyastuti

Youth unemployment is generally viewed as an important policy issue for many economies, regardless of their stage of development. For the purpose of this indicator, the term “youth” covers persons aged 15 to 24 years, and thus the term “adult” refers to those aged 25 and over.
The indicator consists of four distinct measurements, each representing a different aspect of the youth unemployment problem. The four measurements are: (a) youth unemployment rate (youth unemployment as a percentage of the youth labour force); (b) ratio of the youth unemployment rate to the adult unemployment rate; (c) youth unemployment as a proportion of total unemployment; and (d) youth unemployment as a proportion of the youth population.

The issue of comparability of unemployment rates is particularly complex when looking at indicators for a large number of countries throughout the world. In America for example from April to July 2011, the number of employed youth rose by 1.7 million to 18.6 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This year,the share of young people who were employed in July was 48.8 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948.Unemployment among youth increased by 745,000 between April and July, more than last year’s increase of 571,000. In July 2011, 18.6 million 16 to 24-year-olds were employed, about the same as last year.
The number of unemployed youth in July 2011 was 4.1 million, down from 4.4 million a year ago. The youth unemployment rate declined by 1.0 percentage point over the year to 18.1 percent in July 2011, after hitting a record high for July in 2010. Among major demographic groups, unemployment rates were lower than a year earlier for young men (18.3 percent) and Asians (15.3 percent), while jobless rates were little changed for young women (17.8 percent), whites (15.9 percent), blacks (31.0 percent), and Hispanics (20.1 percent).

In Indonesia, percentage of unemployed youth is still high from the total percentage of unemployed people. Youth unemployed in Indonesia during 2011 is more than 50% from the total number of unemployed people. This situation needs a solution, and I think that I got the best solution for this case only from little discussion I did with an old man happen some months ago.

Oneday, I went to print my documents in a printing shop near my lodging house. There, a young man offering me “gethuk”, a tradisional cake from Magelang, a district near Semarang, a place I am in. Then, we have a little discussion which gave me an inspiration about what we should do to create jobs for young people.
Our discussion runs well. This young man is the owner of this printing shop. Then He spontaneously told me about his entrepreneur activity. His formal work is a financial manager at a famous bank in my province. His salary is very high but he said that it is not enough. Now, he has some businesses in campus area like printing shop and lodging house and restaurant. His restaurant sells a cake like just I ate. His income from his businesses is higher than his formal job.
When he asked me about my job, I answer that I am a lecturer. He smiled, and then wisely persuades me to develop a wonderful idea. I am now working as a lecturer in Diponegoro University. I graduate from my Ners profession program in 2010 and now, I am as a young teacher of college students in Diponegoro University, Indonesia. His suggestion was very unpredictable because it was not like what I was thinking. First time, I was thinking that he would persuade me to develop businesses like he did. But no, instead of asking me to develop business, he gave me a wonderful idea which is now applied in my major.
His first suggestion for me is about technopreneur. He supported me to stay focused on my formal job as a lecturer, to always enhance my capability and my competencies based on my professional education. He asked me to continue my education until master and doctoral degree. When I asked him why he did not ask me just to be an entrepreneur likes him, he just smile and give me a simple answer. He said that it will be better for me if I develop a business based on my education or science. Then I remember that it is called as a technopreneurship, Technopreneurship is the merging of knowledge in technology with entrepreneurship skills. Whatever our education background, we can develop an entrepreneurship program based on our skill, education and knowledge.
The second suggestion from him is an amazing idea. He asked me to develop an entrepreneurship curriculum in my major as I am now as a lecturer and I have a big responsibility of creating the best jobs for my students. Every year, the number of graduate from my University always increases but there is a critical thing in my mind. It is about jobs for our graduates and than I tried to share this wonderful idea in every meeting I joint with.
And now, there are some faculties outside Economy and Business Faculty which have established Technopreneurship Curriculum. The result of this curriculum is very great. Before graduate, some of aour students now have their own company and business.
For example, from my major, nursing school Diponegoro University, a group of our students have some businesses like DTN (Diponegoro Travel Nurse), TBCAA (TB Care Activity Activist), WC (Wound Care) and Nurse Spa. DTN is a company consists of 15 nursing students who are working part time as travel nurses. These travel nurses provide health care for passenger during their vacation by bus. Students make a schedule of their travel program in order not to disturb their academic process. Beside as a student, they also got big salary from their DTN.
In TBCAA, student as a home visit nurse who is routinely came to patient’s house to give a medication from doctor and health education. In WC, students also act as home visit nurse to provide wound care to the patients with various wound like cancer, diabetic wound and stoma. While Nurse Spa provide beautiful care for woman based on nursing theory. From these activities, students could gain a lot of money as their service. Of course students got a specific training and skills during their technopreneurship curriculum.
I think that every major, whatever the background, could develop a specific strategies of develop a business based on their basic science. For example students from nutrients major, they develop a catering with specific data of total calories in each menu. From this business, student got so many order from people who are healthy and unhealthy, young to old man.
Other program is very possible to create the same thing. To support this, the establishment of technopreneurship curriculum in education area will really help students to develop a business based on their skill since their status are as a student. Student does not need to wait until they are graduate to look for jobs, because students could begin to develop and create a job for themselves and for others since they are still as an active student.
Technopreneurship requires not only technical knowledge but also through understanding of creativity, the innovation process, marketing, finance, and strategic thinking. All of these are must be provided in Technopreneurship Curriculum. In Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki, it will be more easy for the youth to move from E (Employee) quadrant to S (Self Employed), B (Business owner) and I (Investor).
Establishment of technopreneurship curriculum is better not only applied in University but also from the very beginning. From kindergarten for example, entrepreneurship program needs to be one of specific subject so that children knows about entrepreneurship aspects. By knowing entrepreneurs, in the future it will be very easy for them to look for specific technopreneur program to create new jobs, new wealth and new opportunities.
To conclude, the best job for the youth is by teaching them about entrepreneurship program from very beginning because when they know about entrepreneurship program, it will easy for them to create a job, not only for themselves but also for others. It is important to create jobs for the youth, but it will be more important to enhance knowledge, education while also develop jobs through entrepreneurship program, for this case technopreneurship curriculum is highly recommended to produce young entrepreneur based on their knowledge and skill. I personally hope by the establishment of technopreneurship curriculum in school and university, there will be the next company based on technopreneur like Yahoo, IBM, intel, NOKIA, Wikipedia, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, YouTube, eBay, Web 2.0, Linux which could provide thousands jobs for young people. Hopefully.


References:
1. Bureau of Labor Statistics US Department of Labor. 2011. Employment and Unemployment Among Youth-Summer 2011. USDL-US.
2. Eko Nurmianto. 2009. Technopreneur: The way to realize creative industry. Universitas Islam Indonesia. Jogjakarta.
3. Harry Wallop. 2011. Youth Unemployed Hits Record. Consumer Affairs Editor. UK
4. Lingga, Nuraksa. 2010. Technopreneur. PT Elex Media Computindo. Jakarta
5. Sunder. 2011. Angka Pengangguran Kaum Muda Masih Tinggi. Redaksi. Warta UKM-Jakarta.
6. United Nations.2000. General Assembly Resolution. KILM. Youth Unemployment. US