The ACICIS Sustainable Tourism Professional Practicum (STPP) is a six-week internship program which runs in Jan-Feb each year. The STPP is hosted by Udayana University in Bali and suits a range of degrees at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
The program consists of an initial two weeks of intensive Indonesian language instruction and English language lectures by local practitioners and experts in the field of sustainable tourism, followed by a four-week supervised internships within a local or international tourism and hospitality company or organisation.
The program is designed to cater for students with no existing Indonesian language skills. Candidates with existing language skills are, however, very welcome.
Tourism is an important industry in many developing nations, where it supports economic development and propagates cultural heritage. This is undoubtedly the case in Indonesia which has a thriving tourism industry based on its abundant natural and cultural resources. The tourism industry in Indonesia, however, faces many challenges related to natural resource management and sustainable commercial practices. The need to develop sustainable tourism practices is a rapidly emerging issue in Indonesia as the industry – as it currently operates – continues to deplete the nation’s natural and environmental resources. ACICIS’ Sustainable Tourism Professional Practicum will provide Australian students with the opportunity to gain an understanding of the social, cultural and political systems that underpin the tourism industry in Indonesia, and to consider issues relating to sustainability and resource management within the sector. They will also gain practical skills in hospitality, management and other commercial practices within Indonesia’s tourism and hospitality sector.
It’s difficult to understand a place until you’ve been immersed fully into it. The ACICIS Professional Practicum programs go a long way towards starting that immersion.
– ACICIS Past Participant
Aims
The main aims of the STPP are to:
- Provide students with a practical learning experience with a Host Organisation in the Indonesian tourism sector; and
- To enhance bilateral understanding through the creation of new partnerships between Australian and Indonesian counterparts, and serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas in the field of sustainable tourism.
- To develop students’ knowledge of sustainability and sustainable tourism practices, and the application of these concepts and practices within Indonesia’s tourism industry.
Structure
The structure of the six-week program is as follows:
- Two weeks of intensive Indonesian language classes at the Indonesian partner university, designed to give participants basic Indonesian language capacity.
alongside
- A series of seminars and fieldtrips led by experts in, and practitioners of, sustainable tourism practices in Indonesia.
followed by
- A four-week full-time supervised internships to give participants an (English-speaking) professional experience, within an Indonesian or international organisation operating within Indonesia’s tourism sector.
Supervision
ACICIS’ programs in Indonesia operate under the overall direction of the ACICIS Resident Director, Dr Adrian Budiman.
In addition, an Academic Program Officer (APO) will be assigned for the duration of the STPP to oversee all aspects of the program, including the supervision of its academic content. Participants will also be allocated a workplace mentor at their respective practicum host organisation who will manage the student’s work within the organisation for the duration of the student’s internships.
Some important points to note
- Applicants should be aware that they are applying for the program, not a specific internship. Participants must therefore accept that they may not be placed in their desired choice. In addition, all ACICIS internships with business organisations depend entirely on the goodwill and preparedness of such organisations to host participants. Such organisations retain the right to withdraw from the program or vary the number of participants they host at any stage. Therefore, while acting in good faith in preparing participants for internship placements, ACICIS cannot guarantee any specific internship site and participants must accept this need for flexibility as a condition of participation in the Sustainable Tourism Professional Practicum.
- The visa that participants enter Indonesia on is not a working visa. Participants are strictly prohibited from undertaking any form of paid work during their time on the STPP. ACICIS takes this matter very seriously and will take disciplinary measures against any student found undertaking paid work of any kind throughout the program.
- Participants are advised to take a laptop with them to Indonesia, as in most cases this will help them greatly in their internships. In some internships, it is essential.
- Please be advised that Indonesian universities have a dress code which will be enforced by ACICIS. T-shirts and thongs are not appropriate.
- Orientation is compulsory for all STPP participants. If you cannot attend orientation then you will, unfortunately, not be able to participate in the program.
