PPKP-LPPM UNHAS and Pusbindiklatren Bappenas Fortify 35-Year Partnership in Planner Functional Position Training

Makassar, December 24, 2024 – The Center for Development Policy Studies (PPKP) of the Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) at Hasanuddin University, as a Research and Development Center under the coordination of LPPM UNHAS, continues to expand its collaboration network with various Ministries/Institutions (K/L) at the Central Government and Regional Government levels. This time, it strengthens the collaboration with the Center for Planner Development, Education, and Training (Pusbindiklatren) of Bappenas, a partnership that has spanned nearly 35 years, dating back to 1989/1990.

In 2024, PPKP-LPPM UNHAS and Pusbindiklatren Bappenas are once again conducting the Training for Functional Position of Junior Expert Planner (JFP-AP). The training officially commenced online on Monday, November 4, 2024. The Head of Pusbindiklatren Bappenas, Mr. Wignyo Adiyoso, S.Sos., MA., Ph.D., attended online via the Zoom platform to deliver his welcome address and directions to the participants and organizers. The Rector of UNHAS, Prof. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., Ph.D., also delivered remarks while officially opening the training activity via the Zoom platform from his office.

In their speeches, both the Head of Pusbindiklatren Bappenas and the Rector of UNHAS emphasized the major challenges facing the government—both at the K/L and regional levels—in designing national and regional development plans to meet the new administration’s ambitious target of achieving national economic growth up to 8.0 percent by 2029. Development planners hold a strategic role in realizing this goal, including the participants of this Junior Expert Planner Functional Position training.

In his report, the Head of PPKP-LPPM UNHAS, Dr. Sultan Suhab, SE., MS., explained that the 2024 JFP-AP training generally aims to impart planning knowledge and skills in accordance with the competency standards for expert-level planners. This includes technical competencies in planning, and specific competencies in social, economic, and spatial planning for the functional planners at both central government K/L and Provincial/Regency/City Regional Governments. A total of 25 participants, all incumbent Junior Expert Planner Functional Officials, came from various government agencies and regional governments. The breakdown includes 6 individuals from central government K/L (Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of PANRB, and LKPP-Government Procurement Policy Institute), and the remaining 19 individuals from Provincial/Regency/City Regional Governments in West Java, South Sulawesi, and West Nusa Tenggara.

The 2024 JFP-AP training not only substantively aims to improve the quality of junior expert planners but also serves as a pilot project for the implementation of the planner functional training curriculum developed over the last two years by Pusbindiklatren Bappenas together with nine university partner centers/study programs. PPKP-LPPM UNHAS is one of the four centers/study programs conducting the 2024 regular class new curriculum trial, alongside LPEM-UI, MPWK-ITB, and RCCP-UB. Along with this new curriculum, the learning methodology has undergone a significant change from the previous classical method.

The training will proceed in three stages over a duration of 6 (six) weeks, from November 4 to December 13, 2024. The first stage is Online Learning for two weeks, from November 4 to 15, 2024, utilizing the Zoom Meeting online learning platform, supported by the SIPENA planner learning application. The second stage is Learning Actualization at each participant’s respective agency for one week, from November 18 to 22, 2024. The third stage is In-person (Offline) Learning for three weeks, from November 25 to December 13, 2024, held at the PPKP-LPPM UNHAS Tamalanrea Campus.

The delivery of learning materials across these three stages involves a combination of experts and practitioners from various Study Programs at UNHAS who are dedicated to development planning, along with Principal Expert Planners (PAU) from Bappenas. Furthermore, direct supervisors who act as supervisors for the learning actualization at the participants’ respective workplaces are also involved.

The management and operation of the JFP-AP training, both substantively and technically, are under the full control and responsibility of the Head of PPKP-LPPM UNHAS, assisted by an ad-hoc Master of Training (MoT) team, with a system backup from the SIPENA Admin team of PPKP-LPPM UNHAS. In addition to the presentation of conceptual material to fulfill the need for development planning knowledge and insight, participants will also be equipped with technical skills in preparing development plans with specific competencies in economic, social, and spatial planning. To complement the actualized learning they receive, participants will be provided with extensive technical capabilities through planning exercises, factual case studies, and a field trip focusing on current themes, which will be accountable in a final presentation and open examination before their direct supervisors and supervisors from PPKP-LPPM UNHAS at the end of the training. For the 2024 JFP-AP training, PPKP-LPPM is addressing the factual topic of ‘Sustainable Tourism’ for the field trip.