The Youth Career Planning Workshop (YCPW) 2025 marked an important milestone for students preparing for their next chapter. Held on 14 December 2025 at Monarch Bali Gianyar Campus, the workshop brought together 94 Grade 12 students  from all YKIP project areas: Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Karangasem, Pengotan, and Tejakula.

Four speakers from diverse professional backgrounds—human resources, hospitality, design, and entrepreneurship—shared their experiences with the students. Through these sessions, we hope participants gain valuable perspectives to help them prepare for their future paths.

The Preparation

Preparation for this annual event began well in advance. Starting in October, during the second-quarter scholarship distribution, the YKIP team informed Grade 12 students about the workshop and encouraged them to prepare to attend.

As the workshop was a full-day event, students were advised to obtain permission from their schools or institutions, particularly those who were undertaking on-the-job training on the event date.

One month prior to the workshop, YKIP staff were actively engaged in preparations—from booking the venue and arranging meals, to purchasing prizes and coordinating schedules with the speakers. The day before the event, the team visited the venue to finalise all arrangements.

Job Search Preparation Session

The first session of the workshop focused on job search preparation. The opening speaker was Ibu Mahadewi, Director of Human Resources at Mercure Resort Sanur, who has extensive experience in HR management. She began her session by introducing the concept of Career Readiness and explaining how students can prepare themselves for their first job.

Ibu Mahadewi emphasised that job preparation does not begin with writing a CV. Instead, it starts with developing eight key competencies: self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, teamwork, and technology skills. Once these competencies are well developed, students will be better prepared to create effective CVs for job applications.

In addition, she highlighted the importance of creating strong yet concise CVs and cover letters. She encouraged participants to keep their CVs clear and engaging and reminded them to avoid overly long cover letters. Both documents should be simple, focused, and informative.

During this session, Ibu Mahadewi also conducted a mock interview with one of the participants. The selected student was Asri from Gianyar, who gained firsthand experience in a professional interview setting. Other participants showed strong interest in the session and paid close attention to the interview. Afterwards, Ibu Mahadewi provided insightful feedback to Asri and the other participants.

Before concluding her session, Ibu Mahadewi announced the best CVs and cover letters from the 94 submissions received prior to the session. Sadar from Gianyar, Selpi from Pengotan, and Septi from Karangasem received rewards for their outstanding CVs.

Learning from Professionals

After lunch, the students met Ibu Arumi, the General Manager of Sri Ratih Cottage. She shared her story, from her early decision to work in the hospitality field to achieving her current leadership position. She also spoke about the new direction of the tourism industry and encouraged the students to explore emerging destination areas that are likely to grow in the future.

Another professional speaker was Laksmi, a fashion designer. She shared her experience completing her fashion design training and working for a bridal company, while also assisting private bridal clients. Laksmi explained how her campus training prepared her for her current role and discussed design principles more broadly. Before ending her session, she invited three participants to redesign a piece she had prepared in advance. Three students were fortunate to take part in this hands-on redesign experience.

Our fourth speaker was Bapak Erlangga from a digital marketing agency, Bro Bali Agency. As the founder of the agency, he shared his journey as an entrepreneur. He started a small business with his friends in senior high school, and his entrepreneurial spirit eventually led him to build a business serving hundreds of clients. He encouraged the students to explore diverse opportunities to consider entrepreneurship as a possible career path.

In addition to the professional speakers, we also invited our partner from Campuhan College. Representing the institution, Isa introduced the Gap Year Program, which offers one year of free training in entrepreneurship, English, and leadership. The program also includes photography and graphic design courses, providing students with valuable practical skills.

The event concluded at 5 PM. Over nearly eight hours, we witnessed the students’ enthusiasm for learning and their active engagement with the speakers. We were delighted to see how motivated the students were to prepare for their future careers.

Thank You for the Support

The Youth Career Planning Program would not have run smoothly without the support of many individuals and organisations. First, we would like to thank our main facilitator, Jagat Raya, who guided the event from start to finish. We are also deeply grateful for the time and expertise shared by our speakers: Ibu Mahadewi, Ibu Arumi, Laksmi, Bapak Erlangga, and Isa. We would also like to thank Monarch Bali Gianyar for providing the venue at a special rate. Last but not least, we sincerely thank all partners and volunteers who supported us and helped make this program a success.