SOFT SKILL TRAINING PROGRAM

ABSTRACT
The objective of this research was to evaluate student soft skill training program,
especially on student satisfaction toward soft skill training execution, student understanding of
training material, identification of self efficacy level ( before and after training ) and the training
impact to the student behavior. 31 student from Management Department were involved in the
research.

Mean analisyis and paired sample test were used to analyze data. The results showed
that :

(i) student were satisfied with training execution in all aspecs

(ii) student understood with training material
(iii) there was a difference level of self efficacy (before and after training)
(iv) student behavior changing didn’t neet long time.
 Introduction
Our education is increasingly open as the rapid development of information and
communication system, especially with the support of the power of science and technology and
globalization. Disadvantages in the field of education according to formal or non-formal
activities or information are handled professionally.

To realize a program to improve the quality of national education, the government

implements school based management (SBM) which is shown to encourage school independence
in effort to improve the quality of education according to national and international. However,
there are still many pressing problems to be solved such as the low level of educational equality,
the low quality and relevance of education and the weak management of education.

The government is also deemed les strict in regulating the rise of benches offered by state
universities (PTN) through an independent program, which results on no standard entrance fee
contributions. Even now, the government is only carrying out short-term plans that are reactive,
without binding policies or system for long periods of time.

Whereas, through its policies, especially in the fields of education and human resource
development (HR), the government is responsible for the creation of Indonesian people, both
physically and spiritually. Therefore, in the future the word of education we face great challengs

1. to maintain the results of achievements

2. how educational face the era of globalization
3. make changes and adjustment to the system that support a more democratic
education process.

Related to the achievement of state tertiary education, suyanto in the kompas daily (2002)
stated that the reality showed that the quality of the process of organizing higher education in
Indonesian was still low. Whereas, the implementation off higher education should have the
main goal to produce science, technology, art and its applications.

In addition to producing graduates who are relevant to the demands of the word of work and
development in a country. The development of intellectual, spiritual, emotional and cultural
aspects for the new academic community has a high awareness to grapple with science,
technology and the arts. (www.didaktika.com)

In this articles published in the Banjarmasin Daily Post, Irhamsyah Safari writes that (PT) are
to conservative to meet market needs (employment), in the sense that (PT) tend not to make
many improvement related to the education process and the quality of graduates, so that when a
student graduates from (PT) and gets a bachelor’s degree, the demand the market has changed.
 Because the progress of the development of science and technology (science and technology)
has pushed the needs of the business and industrial word for a more qualified undergraduate
workforce (Safari,1996).

Sociologist Wirutomo, who is also the Chair of the University of Indonesian Sociology
Laboratory, sees (PT) in Indonesian tend to be ambiguous. On the one hand it wants to create
people who are able to think, but on the other hand it wants to meet market demands.

As a results, (PT) graduates are multi-responsible, where graduates are not interested (cannot
be absorbed) in the labor market, but also no longer a source of thought and renewal in the
community. (PT) also seems to be very enthusiastic about following and spoiling the will of
community, which all want to get a bachelor’s degree because in their assumption a bachelor’s
degree is a guarantee to get a job.

This strong desire, led to undergraduate inflation (Wirutomo,2005). Various problems in the
implementation of (PT) above resulted in the low quality of graduates produced. This is
indicated by the low selling power of tertiary graduates in the national labor market, moreover to
compete in the international labor market ITB Rector, Prof. Dr. Ir. Djoko Santoso M.Sc
,admitted that (PT) graduates in Indonesia still did not match the needs of the workforce.

Even according to Prof. Dr Gerardus Polla MAPP Sc ,chancellor of Bina Nusantara

University, graduates of (PT) Indonesian are now increasingly difficult to compete with
overseas graduates because many companies in this country prefer to employ overseas graduates
on the grounds that quality of (PT) Fuar Hegeri graduates is better (Survey of Human
Development Index in 2004 which started that quality of Indonesian human resources was ranked
113 out of 117 countries in the world), (Wirutomo,2005).

Therefore, a systematic and ongoing process that was supported by all parties was needed in
order to improve the quality of (PT) graduates through increasing the management of (PT).
Dr.Satrio Soemantri Brodjonegoro said, one way to improve the quality of Universitas is to do
internal improvement (Wirotomo,2005).

The same think was also conveyed by the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of
Airlangga M. Zainuddin in the National Seminar “Strengthening National Identity” Indonesian,
it’s concept and implementation in Higher Education at Airlangga University, Monday (26/6).

Basically student awareness of the importance of soft skill is already high. Research based on
the important Role of Skill Training to Support Lectures and Entering the World of Work (Vivi,
Ricci and Febriana, 2007) shows that according to most respondent soft skill research is
important in the lecture process of entering the workforce (based on the opinions of 150
economic student from class 2003,2004,2005,2006 and 2007).
 More clearly 77.7% of respondent stated that soft skill are important is supporting lectures,
and 84.0% stated that soft skill are very important in entering the workforce. Research also
shows that of the many types of soft skill training, the type of soft skill training they consider
important to support the educational process is achievement motivation, time management,
getting to know yourself.

Learns super effectively, develops self potential. While the type of soft skill training
recognizes the character of the job / profession, techniques of making a cover letter , interview
techniques. Foster entrepreneurial spirit, building a productive team is important to help them
enter the workforce.

Soft skill training will provide a very good impact on students to support lectures and face
the world of work, therefore with the expected gap in skill and skill that are expected to be
minimized, with soft skill

Student will be developed abilities :

1. self management
2. self confidence
3. communication skills
4. and various other soft skill

which is important for student in the lecture process and entering the workforce. But, true
that soft skill training is held in according with the needs of students as subject of soft skill
training.

Specially related to technical aspects of training such us

1. what kind of training methods are suitable for training certain types of soft skill
2. who should be the coach (whether lecturer, senior student, outsider)
3. and others.
 Discussion
A study entitled evaluating the organization of soft skill training for student is an
experimental research that requires limited research subjects and can be observed continuously in
a certain period of time.

The subject of this study were student of the management study program of UNY and the
sample used was 31 student of the year 2009. The object of this study was the Muhammadiyah
University of Yogyakarta.

The type of data used in this study is the type of primary data obtained directly from the first
source by distributing measurement instrument specially designed in according with the
objective of this study, field observation an interview.

To answer the formulation of the first problem that aims to analyze that level of student
satisfaction with soft skill training, descriptive statistical analysis is used, namely the mean
analysis , as well as the second problem formulation which aims to analyze the level of student
understanding of training material.

With this mean analysis it will be know the average level of student satisfaction and level of
understanding, then these results become the basis for drawing conclusion whether the level of
student satisfaction will be high or low levels of student understanding of training materials.

Third problem formulation which aims to identify changes in after soft skill training is used
which is used pairwise differences and descriptive qualitative analysis, as well as to answer the
final problem formulation aims to identify the durability of the impact of behavior change in
students. Overview of research procedures and data analysis for the formulation of the problem.
Canclused
In according with the initial research design, the measurement of soft skill of student
performed several times. Measurement of first time was done on September 1 2009,aimed at
identifying a number of student who have low soft skill, in this case the soft skill measured are
confident.

From 72 student obtained 25 student with a level of confidence above 0.4 so that they are
involved in the research as a prospective respondent. From observations in the classroom gained
7 student who actually had a high level of confidence, but in class showed the opposite, so that
the even student were involved in in the respondent.

The last part of the research respondent is 3 people student who have on identified the level
of soft mastered however classroom behavior show that they ar lacking confidence. Thus the
chosen candidate is 35 students were declared as candidates for respondent due to illness or
absent for other reasons. Therefore it should be replaced with other student who are likely to
have a high level of trust and behave well in class.

The second measurement of confidence was carried out on 13 october 2009 at the time the
treatment of respondents was carried out, namely un the from of self-recognition and confidence
training. Of the 35 prospective respondents invited, only 31 student who eventually became
respondent. This study consisted of 31 student and they measured the level of confident for the
second time information relating to respondents could be seenin table 4.1.

The third measurement is carried out on the same date as the second measurement, which is
13 October 2009, but at the end of the confidence training season, while the fourth measurement
is done a few weeks after the training with the aim to provide time for the student to settle the
training material on 19 november 2009.

The first problem statement is “Are student satisfied with the technical implementation of
soft skill training”? answered by doing descriptive analysis (is mean) data on the student
satisfaction with the organization of data measurement training.