The Female Engineer Setting New Standards

The pulp and paper industry may be traditionally dominated by men, but that didn’t stop Yoseva Ester S from dreaming of becoming an engineer since her time in high school.

“In my opinion, being an engineer is an interesting job and not monotonous. Moreover, the job prospects of an engineer are very wide. Even though there are fewer women than men, at least I can show that women have equal opportunities in this field,” explained Yoseva.

In pursuing her dream, the youngest of two siblings chose the Pulp and Paper study program, majoring in Chemical Engineering at the University of Riau. She was fortunate to earn a full scholarship from PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), which also enabled her to join the company after graduation.

Currently, 22-year-old Yoseva works as a Process Engineer at PT RAPP, in the Pulp Dryer area. She said this profession has its challenges. Among other things, she has to work with heavy machinery that in some cases is many times her size.

"There were so many ups and downs when I became a Process Engineer, but because I am still very new in this field, I have to learn with engineer colleagues who are already senior to become a qualified female engineer," she said.

Yoseva is one of many female engineers in the company. We provide equal opportunities for women to have a career in any field as part of our commitment to Inclusive Progress in our APRIL2030 roadmap.

Not only that, PT RAPP actively participates in providing scholarship opportunities for young people around the operational area. RAPP and Tanoto Foundation collaborated with the University of Riau to establish a Pulp and Paper Technology major in 2018, which covers the entire pulp and paper production process.

President Director of PT RAPP, Sihol P Aritonang, hopes that this major can raise the standard within the industry and become a driver of economic growth in the region.

"The presence of the pulp and paper major program not only aims to raise the experts in the field of the pulp and paper industry but also a solution for the company to absorb workers with qualified skills like Yoseva,” said Sihol.