Jakarta, February 18, 2025 – In an effort to improve the quality of human resources (HR) in Tapin Regency, the Tapin Regency Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Politeknik Statistika STIS. The event, held at Aloft Hotel Jakarta, marked an important moment for Tapin Regency in establishing cooperation with a leading vocational education institution. The event was also attended by the Director of Politeknik Keuangan Negara (PKN) STAN, the Head of the Center for Research and Development of Human Resources of the Ministry of Transportation, and the Director of the Indonesian Land Transportation Polytechnic (PTDI).

The Director of Politeknik Statistika STIS, Erni Tri Astuti, in her speech emphasized that this talent fostering scheme is a new concept for STIS. As an innovative step, STIS still has much to learn in optimizing this program so that it runs well and benefits both students and their home regions. She also highlighted that STIS student admissions have so far been dominated by participants from Java Island. The centralized selection system has made it more difficult for students from outside Java, especially from Tapin Regency, to compete and be accepted into STIS. With the implementation of this talent fostering scheme, it is hoped that more local youths will have the opportunity to pursue higher education in the field of statistics, particularly at STIS. This not only impacts the students individually but also supports regional development, as STIS graduates can directly contribute to data management and data-based policymaking in Tapin Regency.

This cooperation received full support from various other vocational education institutions. The Director of PKN STAN emphasized that improving HR in the field of national financial management is part of the institution's responsibility. In his remarks, he underlined the importance of cross-institutional cooperation to ensure that graduates from various vocational polytechnics can make a real impact on regions, including Tapin Regency. According to him, the national financial education platform, which has so far focused more on taxation and asset management, should expand its scope to reach more regions with a more integrated coaching system.

Echoing this, the Head of the Human Resources Development and Research Center (BPSDMP) of the Ministry of Transportation highlighted that the transportation sector plays a vital role in supporting economic growth and community mobility. Therefore, the development of competent and professional human resources is essential. He stressed that vocational education must be designed not only to provide theoretical knowledge but also practical skills aligned with industry needs. With this cooperation, it is expected that Tapin Regency will have a workforce in the transportation sector that is not only ready to work but also competitive on a national scale. The talent fostering program is seen as a strategic step to ensure that local youths can obtain high-quality education suited to their region’s needs.

The Director of PTDI-STTD also added that in fostering students admitted through the talent scheme, his institution will ensure a strict monitoring system. With more than 2,800 students to oversee, education at PTDI-STTD emphasizes not only academic aspects but also strong character development. He stressed the importance of good communication between the campus and regional governments so that the program can run smoothly and bring maximum benefit to Tapin Regency.

Tapin Regent (Acting), H.M. Syarifuddin, in his speech stated that this cooperation is an honor for Tapin Regency. He views it as a golden opportunity to build strategic synergy with various higher education institutions to improve the quality of local HR. According to him, this cooperation is not limited to Politeknik Statistika STIS but also involves other vocational education institutions such as STTD and PKN STAN. With this MoU, Tapin Regency strengthens its commitment to providing quality education for the younger generation, who will later contribute to various sectors of regional development.

“If you want to establish a branch school in South Kalimantan, we are ready to assist. Tapin Regency fully supports HR development based on data and technology,” said Syarifuddin. He noted that data- and technology-based HR development has become a top priority in today’s digital era. With the rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, Tapin Regency must ensure that its human resources have the necessary competencies to face future challenges.

Furthermore, he hopes that this cooperation can be continued and followed up by the regional government and all related parties. He also emphasized the importance of the program’s sustainability so that whoever is elected as the future Regent and Deputy Regent of Tapin can carry on the policies that have been initiated. With support from various parties, Tapin Regency targets to become a leading region in HR development in line with the increasingly rapid technological advancements.

The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of a new era in human resource management in Tapin Regency. With the implementation of the talent fostering scheme, it is expected that more local youths will have the opportunity to pursue higher education in statistics and data technology. This will directly impact the region’s capacity to manage data and formulate more accurate data-driven policies. Through this cooperation, Tapin Regency is taking firm steps toward realizing its vision of becoming an advanced and leading region in data-based HR development.