Indonesian students in the United Kingdom are invited to a career event at King’s College London on April 29.

‘Wake Up Indonesia!’ is said to be the first Indonesian career event in the country. It aims to connect Indonesian graduates of UK universities with large Indonesian companies.

The one-day event will feature different programs for undergraduate and post-graduate students and PhD candidates, including two career panel discussions titled ‘Going Global with your UK degree’ where participants can learn how to utilize their skills abroad, and ‘Alternative Careers: Exploring the World of Start-Ups.’ The panel discussions will be followed by company presentations, career consulting, workshops and the Indonesian Forum.

Celebrated figures slated to attend the event are Accenture's Brexit strategist and executive director of the Young Indonesian Professionals Association (YIPA) Steven Marcelino, World Health Organization project manager Awandha Mamahit, Piksel Indonesia CEO and co-founder Nancy Margried, the director of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in London, Nurul Ichwan, and award-winning designer Chitra Subyakto.

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Satria Wilis, the vice president of co-organizer Warwick Indonesian Student Association (PPI-Warwick), told The Jakarta Post that there had always been a gap between the students and the companies.

“I’ve heard many cases from my colleagues of postgraduate students who come back home and fail to find work. They find themselves overqualified and ‘out-of-the-loop’ in the Indonesian job marketplace,” said Satria. “Without any prior connections, network or even information about companies, graduates find themselves lost and starting over from a beginner position, though vastly overqualified.”

The event is also set to launch a joint campaign between Indonesian Student Associations in the UK and YIPA. Dubbed ‘#GoGlobal’, it aims to raise employability awareness.

‘Wake Up Indonesia!’ is a merger of two annual events, Life After Uni (Career Talk) and the Indonesian Forum, which are initiated by PPI-London and PPI-Warwick, respectively.

“This is the first time we’re joining forces in the hope of extending our reach and maximizing our influence on Indonesian students studying in the UK,” said Satria, adding that they aimed to host more career events and workshops in the coming years.

Those wishing to join the event can visit its Facebook account for further information. (kes)