Zoho, a global technology company, is proud to host the Young Creator Program (YCP) in collaboration with Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) in Surabaya for the second consecutive year. This initiative is part of a global effort by Zoho Creator, Zoho’s low-code/no-code (LCNC) platform, aimed at empowering local communities to harness the power of LCNC solutions like Zoho Creator to develop powerful business applications without requiring any coding experience.
As part of the Indonesian government’s efforts to achieve the Indonesia Emas 2045 vision, there is a strong emphasis on equipping the current generation, aged 15 to 30, with vital digital skills. While this generation is already a key driver of the digital economy, further development of their capabilities is crucial to meet Indonesia’s economic growth targets. The YCP aims to nurture innovative young talent and boost digital literacy, empowering them to tackle real-life business challenges. The accessibility of LCNC solutions enables small businesses to develop applications with minimal coding knowledge, reducing costs and accelerating time-to-market, thereby leveling the playing field for all businesses.
Investing in Functional Training for LCNC
This August, the Young Creator Program (YCP) made a return to ITS in Surabaya with an expanded agenda. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by ITS University President Bambang Pramujati and Zoho, marking the beginning of a new partnership and the global debut of the Zoho Creator LCNC module as part of the curriculum at a higher education institute. In addition to training 70 students, this year’s program introduced a train-the-trainer model, enrolling 40 lecturers for specialized training, ensuring that future cohorts of students will benefit from this curriculum as well. Additionally, ITS hosted a session with 60 participants from local SMEs to raise awareness of LCNC solutions in the local business community. By adopting this approach, YCP aims to broaden the impact of LCNC education, increasing accessibility to these solutions within Surabaya’s business sector.
The program kicked off on 19 August with a three-day session for the lecturers, followed by a three-day session for the students. This comprehensive course provides attendees with hands-on experience in building applications using Zoho Creator, a powerful low-code/no-code platform. Over the course of three days, participants will be guided through the essential building blocks of app development, including form creation, relational databases, reports, dashboards, and workflows. The program also introduces advanced features such as Deluge scripting, AI integration, and custom functions, equipping students with the skills to automate processes, manage app life cycles, and connect with over 600 external applications. By the end of the course, participants will have the knowledge to design, develop, and manage fully functional business applications.
This year’s session reinforces the commitment of Zoho and ITS to integrating low-code technology into the curriculum, providing students with the practical skills needed for success in the business world. With the successful completion of the 2024 program, this initiative serves as a model for other institutions of higher learning to adopt and incorporate the Young Creator Program into their student courses.
The robust partnership that has been cultivated between ITS and ZOHO Global Corporation is something we deeply value,” says Dr.oec.HSG Syarifa Hanoum, S.T., M.T., Head, Department of Business Management, ITS.
“The successful implementation of initiatives like the Young Creator Program has inspired our students to innovate and embrace digitalization in business without the need for extensive coding knowledge. In additon, the Training of Trainers program has equipped our lecturers to become better educators, capable of spreading digital literacy to a wider audience. This collaboration also extends beyond ITS students and faculty, reaching out to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to help them adopt digital tools and advance their businesses. Overall, this collaboration has not only empowered our students and lecturers but has also made significant contributions to the broader community.”
Handito Aji Saroso, Country Lead, Zoho Indonesia said that with the success of our collaboration throughout last year, Zoho pleased that this year the company can have a deeper and tighter collaboration with Insititut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya.
“With a broader program in 2024, we are excited to be the first to build Zoho Creator into the curriculum for an institute of higher education. With this collaboration, we hope to close the gap between the academic curriculum and real-world business needs. By adding our best practices and experience to the curriculum, we seek to make a lasting impact on the local talent pool and bring benefits to the business community. Together, we aim to empower the next generation of digital talent and bring functional skills to the local workforce that will effect real change to the business landscape.”
