Deputy Minister of Cooperatives (Wamenkop), Farida Farichah, said that the internship program for managers of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative is a locomotive for improving village human resources (HR), as well as a driver of cooperative-based economic development.Farida officially closed the third batch of internship programs for Kopdes/Kel Merah Putih administrators in the agricultural sector at the Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School Cooperative, Ciwidey, Bandung Regency.
This program was attended by 38 administrators from 11 provinces for eight days.
"The goal of this internship isn't just to manage LPG distribution or provide cashiers, but to make Kopdes the economic powerhouse in each village," Farida said in a ministry press release.
He emphasized that internships should not be stopped as a formality, but should be applied in each cooperative.
According to him, Kopdes administrators are the spearheads tasked with eradicating poverty and improving the welfare of village communities.
In addition to increasing capacity, he highlighted the phenomenon of rural to urban labor migration which often gives rise to irony.
According to him, Kopdes Merah Putih must be a solution so that people do not have to compete for jobs in urban areas, but can instead create business opportunities in the village.
Farida added that cooperative development doesn't stop with training, but requires ongoing partnerships, funding, and networking. This will facilitate and sustain Kopdes Merah Putih's business development.
On the same occasion, the Deputy for Talent Development and Competitiveness at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Destry Anna Sari, emphasized that internship activities are part of cooperative-based incubation and innovation efforts.
This program is expected to strengthen the Red and White Village Cooperative/District ecosystem through direct practice and networking with cooperatives that have proven successful.
Destry emphasized that the collaboration built during the internship must provide real benefits for the cooperative administrators and managers.
He hopes that the experiences and good practices gained can be immediately implemented in their respective cooperatives, so that strengthening human resource capacity will truly impact the development of village businesses.
