APRIL invests IDR 28.7 billion in education in Indonesia

APRIL Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tanoto Foundation and Riau University to invest IDR 28.7 billion in education.

Under the MoU, APRIL will build lecture facilities for the university’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

APRIL also signed a MoU with the Pangkalan Kerinci State Vocational High School 1, and the Muhammadiyah Pekanbaru Vocational High School, and will be providing the schools with educational and empowerment tools.

“We see potential and that’s why we are trying to create human resources which are better educated. In a business, human resources are essential and should be nurtured from the beginning.

“That is what we are doing today. We are providing education in Riau with an investment of IDR 28.7 billion,” said M. Ali Shabri, Director of Operations at RAPP (an APRIL subsidiary).

“We are building laboratories and providing laboratory equipment, supporting education quality development at Pangkalan Kerinci State Vocational High School 1 and Muhammadiyah Pekanbaru Vocational High School at a value of IDR 100 million per school,” he added.

The collaborations were well-received by Indonesian Minister of Industry, Airlangga Hartarto, who attended the signing of the MoUs.

According to Airlangga, such cooperation involving high school institutions in Riau represents competent efforts to shape the human resource industry.

“Surely this is in line with the Vocational Education Industry Program and the Link and Match policy, which the government is incessantly encouraging.”

“Moreover, the vocational program is in line with Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2016 on the revitalization of vocational high schools, in order to improve human resource quality and competitiveness in Indonesia,” Airlangga said.

Airlangga expressed hope that the program run by RAPP would be a pioneer in the development of pulp and paper knowledge in Riau. The new program is therefore expected to act as a pilot program for other universities.

“Along with industry development in Riau, it is hoped that the majority of human resource needs in the future can be fulfilled by local employees,” he said.

He further said that the Riau province should be proud, as the Indonesian pulp and paper industry holds an important role in global paper supply.

“Riau is one of the top three paper producers in the world, and the company is in Riau. With this collaboration, pulp and paper knowledge will increase,” the minister said.

“I hope the collaboration between APRIL Group and Riau University along with Tanoto Foundation will work well, and act as a step for the company to be even more successful, while providing maximum contribution to improving the social and national economy, and the general Riau province in particular,” he said.

Meanwhile, Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman who also attended the event similarly expressed appreciation for APRIL’s contribution towards education in Riau, and hoped that other companies would provide similar contributions to education.

“Of course we are grateful. This is the responsibility of large companies in Riau. Hopefully, by working together with the government to improve education, human resources in Riau relevant to the pulp and paper industry will continue to escalate,” he said.

APRIL’s investment in educational development is one way the company supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 on inclusive and high-quality education for all.