Our investments in education and training help people and communities thrive. Education has been a focus for Chevron in Indonesia since 1957 when we established the first state senior high school, SMAN 1, in Pekanbaru, Riau.

To bring training programs to communities near our Riau and East Kalimantan operations, PT CPI works with local government, nongovernmental and youth organizations and educational institutions. Our goal is to help communities diversify their economies and increase job opportunities for young people, students in need, and women through skills development.

In 2011 with the help of a local organizer, we launched Vocational Training for Employment and Entrepreneurs (VoTEE), now known as Vocational Training for Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development (VOTED). Our first year, we had more than 375 program beneficiaries, and the next year more than 670 women and teenagers received training. Coursework varies year to year but in general covers automotive, electrical, motor and air-conditioning technical skills, welding, heavy equipment operation, woodworking, rigging, audio technician skills, entrepreneurship, handmade and batik fabric making, beauty salon work, sewing and cooking. In Duri, we partner with Riau Caltex Polytechnic and, in some instances, provide capital to graduates starting their own businesses.

With VOTED as our new name in 2019, we welcomed Dhuafa Wallet Independent Institute, or Institut Kemandirian Dompet Dhuafa (IKDD), as an operational program partner. Today, 315 individuals from 24 districts in 7 cities of Riau Province participate, gaining skills to compete for better employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Training includes fashion design, food manufacturing, motorbike maintenance, computer repair, graphic design and welding.

Our latest effort, the Workforce Development Program (WFD), started in 2018 and has 136 participants. WFD is certification training for recent high school and vocational school graduates and other young people as well as microenterprise owners seeking to be more competitive. The program offers four training certifications that are essential for Industrial Revolution 4.0: Health Expert and Work Safety, or Ahli Kesehatan dan Keselamatan Kerja (AK3) certification, which is required by almost every industry; Cisco Certification Network Associate (CCNA); MikroTik Certification Network Associate (MTCNA), a benchmark for computer network infrastructure management competency; and Zahir Accounting certification, which involves assurance of effective and efficient solutions in financial recording. WFD offers certification from the National Board of Professional Certification, or Badan Nasional Sertifikasi Profesi (BNSP).

In 2001, in collaboration with the Riau provincial government, we established the first polytechnic institution in Riau, the Riau Caltex Polytechnic (PCR), to train local students for jobs in the industrial sector. The polytechnic now has 1,500 students enrolled and offers a curriculum to match the province’s business needs and contribute to its economic growth. Overall, PCR offers eight diploma programs – computer engineering, electronic engineering, telecommunications engineering, mechatronics, accounting, multimedia IT engineering, industrial information systems and advanced telecommunications engineering. PCR is growing and currently it is self-funded and independent from Chevron.

In Banda Aceh, we built Aceh Polytechnic with our partners in the long-term recovery effort following the 2004 tsunami. More than 3,800 students have graduated from these two schools.

We established the Darmasiswa Chevron Riau scholarship program in 2001 to aid talented high school students in the Riau province to continue their college education. Working together with provincial and district/municipal education agencies, Chevron conducts a defined selection process each year to identify students with strong potential. Every year, we send approximately 60 selected students to attend some of the most prestigious colleges in Indonesia, such as the University of Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology, Gadjah Mada University and Padjajaran University, etc. To date, more than 1,000 outstanding students have benefited from this program.

After graduation, DCR beneficiaries found employment as government officials, employees at national and multinational companies, teachers, lecturers, doctors, and consultants. Some are also working at Chevron.

We collaborate with universities to improve the quality of educations through University Partnership Program (UPP) and University Relationship Program (URP). We consider these educational partnerships to be strategic investments in the economic development of local communities and the future of the energy business.

Chevron’s UPP works with more than 100 colleges and university partners around the world to help attract and develop talented students and lecturers who can help achieve a more technically proficient global workforce. In Indonesia, the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) are UPP university partners. We provide strategic and multifaceted supports, which include scholarships, grants, funding for faculty positions and laboratory upgrades.

For URP, Chevron partners with Riau State University (UNRI), Riau Islamic University (UIR), University of Lancang Kuning (UNILAK), and Riau Muhammadiyah University (UMRI). We help provide capacity building enhancement both for students and lecturers, infrastructure improvement of the recipient universities, and higher accreditation of selected study program.

We also support the education of the Sakai people, an indigenous tribe in Riau. Our focus is to provide access to pursue higher level study and improve education quality and capacity building of Sakai students. We supply books, provide incentives for teachers and offer educational grants to thousands of Sakai children through our Beasiswa Anak Asuh Sakai (Sakai Foster Children Scholarship) program. Since 2001, approximately 2,000 Sakai natives have received the education assistance.