LHOKSEUMAWE – A total of 206 students from the Business Department of Lhokseumawe State Polytechnic (PNL) were officially sent off to participate in an industrial internship program. The send-off and briefing, which took place in the Theater Room of the PNL TDC Building, aimed to prepare students to face real challenges in various business entities, industries, banking institutions, and government agencies.

The Director of PNL, Dr. Ir. Rizal Syahyadi, ST., M.Eng.Sc., emphasized that adaptability is crucial capital for the younger generation amidst the rapid changes in today's work world. According to him, being adaptive is not just about following trends, but having the courage to continue learning and aligning competencies with the needs of the times so as not to be crushed by technological and industrial developments.

In addition to emphasizing individual readiness, Rizal also outlined the opportunities for PNL's institutional transformation. Responding to discourse from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, PNL is preparing to welcome the potential transformation of the institution into a university or institute, without abandoning the vocational values that are its main foundation.

He reminded the internship students to maintain PNL's main identity, namely discipline, honesty, morality, and professional ethics. These characters are what have made graduates of this vocational campus trusted and easily absorbed by both the national and international job markets.

The Head of the Business Department of PNL, Diana, SE.Ak., M.Si., CA., CPTT., detailed that the internship participants come from four study programs, including Islamic Financial Institution Accounting, Public Sector Accounting, Accounting, and Business Administration. She urged students to maintain their physical and mental condition, and to act professionally like permanent employees despite being interns.

This briefing activity also featured competent speakers, namely Assistant Vice President of Corporate Export Sales Administration of PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda, Nurul Kamal, and Head of the Career Development Center (CDC) of PNL, Zulkarnaini. Through this collaboration, PNL hopes that the internship program can bridge academic theory with industrial reality to produce graduates with integrity who are ready to work.