The Kemenkop UKM Internship Program Is Starting To Be Carried Out, Efforts To Reach The Target Of 500 Modern Cooperatives

One of the internship participants for the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. Photo: (Doc. Public Relations Kemenkop UKM)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs (Kemenkop UKM) has started carrying out internship programs for 270 cooperative administrators and managers as an effort to realize the target of 500 modern cooperatives.

There are three cooperatives that are places of learning, namely KUD Mino Saroyo in Cilacap, Central Java, for Fishermen's Cooperatives, Kopsyah Benteng Mikro Indonesia in Tangerang, Banten, for the Sharia Savings and Financing Cooperative (KSPPS/BMT), and the Al-Ittifaq Kopontren in Bandung, West Java, for the Kopontren.

"This kind of internship program brings many benefits to the development of cooperatives in the future," said Maldison, an intern from Agam Regency, West Sumatra, as quoted from a written statement from the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Monday, September 25.

For Maldison, who is the manager of the Sharia Consumer Cooperative Ponpes Diniyyah Pasia, the knowledge of the internship program he obtained will be very useful because it includes knowledge about the management of a good and correct cooperative. Including, how to increase cooperative turnover and improve the welfare of members.

Coupled with the condition of the same area as the Al-Itfaq Islamic Boarding School, which is in a cold area.

"We can also develop the agricultural sector and others. Incidentally, the community around Ponpes also has agricultural and livestock businesses," he said.

The other interns, namely, were one of the administrators of the Al Hikmah 2 Benda Kopontren from Brebes Regency, Central Java, named Akmari.

He said that he was lucky to have the opportunity to take part in the seven-day internship program at Al-Ittifaq and would develop a real sector business, especially agriculture.

"We learned a lot how to manage modern cooperative institutions by applying digitization," he said.

Maldison's knowledge and other knowledge gained at Al-Ittifaq is that his cooperative must partner with entrepreneurs and other cooperatives to develop business and MSMEs so that they can advance to class.

Meanwhile, Purwanto also said that the implementation of digitalization at the Al-Ittifaq Kopontren was a separate provision for his cooperative.

He hopes that later there will still be assistance from the Kemenkop UKM and Al-Ittifaq when implementing the knowledge gained during the internship.

"In the future, we can copy pastes from all on Al-Ittifaq," he said.