Australia Awards in Indonesia

Australia Awards adalah beasiswa dan studi singkat bergengsi yang bersifat transformatif, diberikan kepada para pemimpin masa depan untuk menempuh studi, penelitian, dan pengembangan profesional di Australia

18 Oktober 2023

Syanthy Christianty’s Eureka Moment: Applying Insights from Her Short Course to the Biggest Waste to Energy Project in Indonesia

It never crossed Syanthy Christianty’s mind sometime in the future she will be studying in Australia. When she was still an undergraduate student at the University of Indonesia (UI), Syanthy, who currently works as vice president of legal and compliance at Indonesia Infrastructure Guarantee Fund (IIGF), already set her goal to pursue her education in Europe.

Syanthy’s first encounter with Australia happened accidentally when she heard about Australia Awards in Indonesia (AAI) short course program from her workplace.

The short course on Infrastructure: Financing Structures, Instruments and Incentives held by the University of Tasmania piqued Syanthy's curiosity.

“Very relatable, and it looks very applicable to my line of work,” Syanthy explained.

Biggest WTE Project in Indonesia

During the short course, Syanthy and her group ran a project themed Waste to Energy (WTE). Coincidentally at that time, Syanthy at IIGF was also in the process of managing the Legok Nangka Waste to Energy Project.

“It’s like the whole universe conspired to help me, there are so many insights from other participants which I applied to Legok Nangka Project,” Syanthy said enthusiastically when asked to explain about her experience in the short course.

Now she views the project holistically using multiple perspectives, including inclusivity and women empowerment. She no longer fixated only on the waste management aspect.

Located at Nagreg, Bandung Regency, Legok Nangka is designed to process 1.800 tonnes of waste per day. Those waste heaps will then be processed by Legok Nangka to become electrical energy up to 18 megaWatt. It is scheduled to operate soon. West Java Governor, Ridwan Kamil stated it will be the biggest Waste to Energy project in Indonesia.

The short course benefits gained by Syanthy are not limited only to knowledge taught by experts and lecturers. This Malmö University’s alumna feels more confident in terms of decision-making as a managerial staff of Indonesia State Enterprise (BUMN).

Syanthy’s confidence soared after she got the chance to do a discussion with other short course participants who held higher job positions compared to her.

"I am more able to lead my team now,” she told.

Discovering Australia

Initially, Syanthy’s first engagement with Australia wasn’t going so smoothly because she didn’t have the chance to directly feel what it was like studying in Australia. COVID-19 Pandemic forced the short course to be held online.

Nevertheless, Syanthy said she really enjoyed her time studying in AAI short course. One benefit she identified is having the time and opportunity to discuss with other participants from various backgrounds, from local government, ministries, and state enterprises (BUMN). For Syanthy, the moment when she can do brain-storming with people without hierarchy boundaries is extraordinary because it’s very rare to happen outside the short course.

“There are no boundaries during the short course so the discussion can be more open and intense, the discussion output is the most precious thing,” Syanthy said when she was asked about which part of the short course had the greatest contribution to her work.

She now views Australia as a benchmark for Indonesia, particularly regarding infrastructure.

Having the ambition to further her study, Syanthy has included Australia as her Ph.D. study destination list.

“Back then I want to study (Ph.D.) in Europe, but now I am open to doing it in Australia,” Syanthy said.

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