36 faculty members of technical universities and colleges from Indonesia visited Freeport McMoRan in Miami. These universities got $6 million in education funds from Arizona State University. It is a collaboration program between the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Kemendikbud or The Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia.
USAID collaborates with Arizona State University to improve education in Indonesia. Besides, this program also has an objective to enhance partnerships between educational organizations in the United States of America and Indonesia. This program is especially for college and technical universities that offer mining-related curricula.
The Reasons for Visiting Freeport
This partnership program is why Indonesian faculty members visit Freeport McMoRan corporation in Miami. The member of technical universities conducted a tour of the Freeport smelter. Besides they also participated in the sharing session on the Arizona State University campus.
Freeport McMoran Papua and PTFI or PT. Freeport Indonesia is the partner of the Higher Education Partnership Initiative of USAID. The objective of this partnership is to improve the curriculum in the industry. Besides, this collaboration can assist Indonesian technical universities in achieving accreditation standards at the international level.
In addition, this program can enhance the course credit recognition between Indonesian and US higher education institutions. Furthermore, the visit to Freeport McMoran business smelter and rod mill will be able to raise the academic rigor of polytechnical universities.
Also, this program aims to make the course credit of Indonesian universities become transferrable to US universities. As a result, Indonesian college students can improve their knowledge and qualifications. So, when Freeport requires a new engineer, students from Indonesian universities can fulfill this position.
Freeport Contribution
Freeport McMoRan foundation contributes a lot to helping Indonesian students. For instance, PT Freeport Indonesia has a commitment to working together with USAID in order to enhance the qualifications of Indonesian students. It hopes that the curriculum of the Indonesian University can meet international standards. Therefore, the graduates can meet the requirements of the industry.
Moreover, PT Freeport Indonesia also partners with USAID to improve the economy of some remote areas in Papua through Papuan Agricultural Development Alliance. This company also finances some undergraduate students from Papua in the education sector.
This program has helped 70 students from Papua who continue their studies in United States universities. Additionally, PT Freeport Indonesia also has Nemangkawi Mining Institutes. This educational institution has trained thousands of Papuan students.
The Partnership between Indonesia and USAID
USAID released a partnership program with the Indonesia Ministry of Education Culture by awarding $6 million. This fund is for the 5-year Higher Education Partnership Initiative. To run this program, USAID collaborates with ASU or Arizona State University.
USAID supports students at the higher level of education to improve their skills and update with technology. This way, once they graduate from the universities, they can contribute to speeding up Indonesia’s economic growth.
There are numerous realizations for this partnership program. For instance, this program offers scholarships for Indonesian university students. Besides, it also helps the universities in Indonesia to develop a curriculum that aligns with international standards. This way, undergraduate students can pursue higher education in universities in the US.
The visit of Indonesian university faculty members to Freeport Miami is also part of this program. Through this visit, Indonesian polytechnical universities will be able to improve their curriculum about mining. Also, they can reach the international standard for accreditation.
That’s the latest news about Freeport-McMoRan. USAID HEPI program always supports Indonesian students, especially Papuans, to improve their knowledge and skills.
This organization also supports Indonesian universities in strengthening their technology and engineering program. Therefore, Indonesian education institutions can produce outstanding students working in Freeport McMoRan or other international companies.
