Universitas Gadjah Mada
Faculty of Economics and Business

The Faculty of Economics and Business at Gadjah Mada University (FEB UGM) is firmly committed to developing the soft skills of its students. This commitment is realized through the Soft Skills Training and Recharging (STAR) Program.

Bayu Sutikno, S.E., M.S.M., Ph.D., FEB UGM's Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, said that FEB UGM is committed to supporting the development of students' soft skills. One of the critical components is the support mechanism designed to enhance students' non-academic skills within the framework of Assessment, Support, and Challenge (ASC) used by FEB UGM. In addition, FEB UGM conducts assessments upon students' entry to identify and map their needs and skills. Challenges are addressed through various activities designed to meet the learning challenges faced by students.

"This campus is a second home for students, where they can develop themselves apart from their homes with their parents and community. Therefore, FEB UGM strives to support and facilitate the development of students' soft skills through the STAR Program," he explained on Tuesday (August 6) at FEB UGM.

The development of the STAR Program, Bayu continued, is an effort by FEB UGM to develop future business and economic leaders with a sustainability perspective. The STAR Program is an umbrella for activities for undergraduate and graduate students in 14 FEB UGM programs conducted systematically and regularly each semester.

"We created the STAR LEAD (Soft Skills Training and Recharging Leadership Exploration and Development) program for undergraduate students. STAR LEAD aligns with FEB UGM's mission to develop future leaders. Through this program, students are equipped with hard and soft skills for their future careers," he explained.

Undergraduate students at FEB UGM must participate in eight STAR LEAD themes from their first through fifth semesters. These themes include study/life balance, critical thinking, presentation, writing, Anti-Plagiarism, Leadership and Negotiation, Writing Skills, Academic and Reference Management, Personal Branding, and Interview Skills. These topics were developed in collaboration with the undergraduate programs - Accounting, Management, and Economics programs - and are tailored to the graduate profile's needs and each program's competency goals.

Soft skills development programs are designed for undergraduate and graduate students at FEB UGM. Some of the programs developed are the Leadership Enhancement and Acceleration Program (LEAP) in the Master of Management (MM) program, the Guest Lecturer, Orientation, Writing Excellence, Sharing Session, and Training (GO WEST) in the Master of Accounting (MAKSI) program, and the Soft Skills Training and Recharging for Leaders in Economic Development (FLEET) in the Master of Development Economics (MEP) program. In addition, the Researcher's Enrichment Program (REACH) is offered in the Master's and Doctoral programs.

Arizona Mustikarini, Ph.D., Head of the Career and Student Development Unit (CSDU) at FEB UGM, explained that the STAR Program is an innovative soft skills development program that aims to enhance the potential and capabilities of FEB UGM students to become future leaders capable of making an impact on society. "The STAR Program is not only aligned with the mission and vision of FEB UGM but is also designed according to the competency objectives of each degree program," she said.

Arizona further explained that the STAR program has a structured and systematic assessment framework to ensure relevance and achievement of competency goals. She provided an example of the STAR LEAD program, which includes three types of evaluations to assess the success of STAR LEAD sessions given to students: response evaluation, learning evaluation, and behavioral evaluation.

The response evaluation assesses students' perceptions of the effectiveness and usefulness of the soft skills training, considering the materials, activities, and technical delivery. The learning evaluation measures how much students gained from the soft skills training through pre-and post-tests. The behavioral assessment examines changes in student attitudes and behaviors to achieve the desired outcomes after the training.

"With this comprehensive evaluation, it is hoped that the STAR program developed by FEB UGM will remain relevant and impactful," she concluded.

Reportage: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum 

Sustainable Development Goals