The Indonesia Career Center Network (ICCN) Summit 2026, held at the Graduate and Doctoral Building of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Yogyakarta State University (UNY), on Friday (October 16, 2026), reaffirmed the commitment of higher education institutions to move beyond traditional approaches to career center management. With a focus on sustainable transformation, the second day of the forum explored concrete strategies to prepare graduates not merely with academic qualifications but also with the resilience and adaptability needed to navigate the disruption brought about by artificial intelligence (AI).
The morning session opened with an insightful discussion featuring Vina Muliana, a human resources practitioner and content creator. She emphasized that the criteria for evaluating talent have undergone a fundamental shift. According to her, a high Grade Point Average (GPA) demonstrates academic achievement in a particular discipline but does not automatically guarantee readiness for today's dynamic labor market.
“The key to becoming adaptable talent lies in learning agility—the willingness to let go of outdated knowledge and relearn new things. Today's students are no longer struggling with a lack of information, as in the past, but rather with an overwhelming abundance of it. This is where career center professionals must help strengthen their critical thinking skills so they can identify which information is truly relevant,” Vina explained.
She highlighted three essential foundations that universities should equip students with: clarity (a clear sense of direction and interests), competitiveness (the ability to demonstrate competitiveness through real-world experience), and connections (the ability to build professional networks). As global recruitment trends shift from degree-based hiring to skills-based hiring, she encouraged universities to promote project-based learning and highlight local wisdom and Indonesia's distinctive work ethic as unique strengths in the global job market.
Complementing this practical perspective, the Director of Student Affairs, Career, and Alumni at Telkom University, Dr. Maulana Rezi Ramadhana, S.Psi., M.Psi., shared best practices in developing a student employability journey. He emphasized the need to redefine the role of career centers, shifting their focus from job placement to building students' career readiness from the very beginning of their university studies.
“One of the weaknesses frequently highlighted by industry is not necessarily technical competence, but rather students' underlying qualities, including resilience, manners, and independence in decision-making. At our university, talent pool mapping begins in the first semester, accompanied by a requirement for students to build professional portfolios on LinkedIn. We also provide personalized support through Career Buddy and the ‘One Alumni, One Student’ program to guide their development,” Dr. Rezi explained.
The challenges become even more pressing in light of the national digital talent paradox, as presented by Dr. R. Muhammad Agung Harimurti Purnomojati, M.Kom., representing the Head of the Multi Media College (STMM) “MMTC” Yogyakarta. Although Indonesia is projected to face a shortage of up to nine million digital talents between 2015 and 2030, unemployment among educated members of Generation Z remains relatively high due to the mismatch between graduates' qualifications and industry demands. Furthermore, with the emergence of the Agentic AI era, in which technology can make decisions autonomously, universities are urged to equip students with certified skills and the ability to collaborate effectively and responsibly with technology.
Addressing the need to accelerate graduate employment, LinkedIn Indonesia representative Vinita Pitoomal emphasized the importance of real-time data integration to address the signaling gap between university curricula and rapidly changing labor market demands. LinkedIn encourages universities to make strategic use of alumni career records and combine academic degrees with professional competency certifications to expand students' employment opportunities at both national and international levels.
Collaboration between higher education institutions and the labor market was further strengthened through a panel discussion featuring representatives from PT Astra International Tbk, PT Pegadaian, ONE Indonesia, Narasio, and the DIY Department of Manpower and Transmigration (Disnakertrans DIY). Moderated by Lia Marlia, S.Sos., M.I.Kom., the discussion highlighted the importance of internships based on real-world projects, the development of structured portfolios and resumes, and the use of government data platforms such as Karirhub and Statistics Indonesia (BPS) to ensure that career center initiatives are more targeted and measurable.
Reinforcing these discussions, ICCN founder Nurhadi, S.T., M.M., LCCC., emphasized the importance of strong leadership support within universities and targeted interventions for study programs whose graduates are ready to enter the workforce. Through focused guidance and support, students' employability is expected to translate into actual employment outcomes.
These collaborative efforts further strengthen the commitment of ICCN and UNY to transforming career centers into strategic bridges between higher education and the labor market, helping shape a generation that is globally competitive, strong in character, and responsive to the demands of the times.
