Yogyakarta, July 4, 2025 — Sekolah Vokasi Universitas Gadjah Mada (SV UGM) welcomed a visit from the Head of the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia (ANRI), Dr. Mega Pinandito, M.Eng., along with other ANRI delegations. The visit aimed to strengthen synergy between vocational education and the development of a robust national archiving system. The event took place in Room 201, 2nd Floor of the Teaching Industry Learning Center (TILC) building, and was warmly received by SV UGM leadership and faculty members of the Applied Bachelor’s Degree Program in Archives and Records Management (PARI).
In his opening remarks, Dean of SV UGM, Professor Dr.-Ing. Ir. Agus Maryono, IPM., ASEAN Eng., reaffirmed the college’s commitment, as part of Universitas Gadjah Mada, to producing graduates who are ready to enter the workforce and adaptable to current developments. “We have three main buildings—TILC, FRC, and Pantja Dharma. We have eight departments spanning science and technology to social sciences and humanities. For this reason, SV UGM is often referred to as a ‘miniature of UGM,’” he explained. He also highlighted the strengths of the PARI program as one of the college’s most in-demand study programs, highly relevant to the growing need for professional archivists in the digital age. Furthermore, Professor Agus expressed SV UGM’s readiness to expand its collaboration with ANRI, particularly in advancing professional certification and developing digital archiving systems through interdisciplinary cooperation with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (DTEDI).
During the visit, Dr. Mega Pinandito addressed the urgency of reforming the national archiving system, emphasizing the importance of systematically and integratively converting physical archives into digital formats. “An archive is something that has been written and stored. But today we face a major question: how can all of this be effectively digitized and accessed?” he stated. He also stressed that future archival graduates should not only be prepared for bureaucratic needs but also be ready to contribute to the industrial sector and broader society. “We hope archival graduates can become more flexible with the support of proper professional certification and adaptability to technological advancements,” he added.
In the discussion forum, Professor Agus reiterated that SV UGM has taken concrete steps toward implementing professional certification programs in the field of archiving. “We recognize the importance of nationally standardized competence recognition and are ready to collaborate with ANRI in establishing certification schemes that are relevant for our graduates,” he affirmed.
Echoing this, Irfan Rizky Darajat, S.I.P., M.A., Manager of the Finance, Asset, Human Resource, and Information System Unit of the Department of Language, Arts, and Cultural Management (DBSMB), explained that SV UGM has been undertaking efforts to digitize its archival records, despite facing certain challenges. “We have utilized various applications to digitize paper-based archives. However, we are aware that the next challenge lies in managing these digitized records in an integrated manner. That is why synergy with ANRI is essential,” he said.
The event also served as a platform to introduce several of ANRI’s flagship programs, including the “Srikandi Arsip” initiative, which promotes cross-sector collaboration in building an inclusive and sustainable national archiving system. The Head of ANRI invited SV UGM to actively participate in the initiative and explore opportunities for joint research and the development of technology-based systems.
The meeting, held in an academic and dialogical atmosphere, concluded with a shared hope that collaboration between ANRI and SV UGM would result in policies, programs, and innovations that strengthen the national archiving system and produce outstanding archival graduates who are relevant to contemporary needs. This visit marks a strategic step in advancing vocational education based on the demands of industry and modern public governance.
Writer: Febriana Trisnawati
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