Government Research Internship (GRI) is a new term in the field of education. This term was developed during a competency workshop for the Department of Government Science at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, UMM, in 2010. Drs. Jainuri, M.Si., Secretary of the Department of Government Science, said, "We formulated the Government Research Internship during the competency workshop for government science last year. The workshop participants agreed to implement the Government Research Internship. We define Government Research Internship as a program where students conduct internships using a research approach, observing and analyzing what the bureaucracy does at the internship location. So, GRI is not like the traditional internships that only involve office administration," he explained.
After the workshop, the Department of Government Science implemented the GRI program at two local government institutions in Malang City, namely the Family Planning and Community Empowerment Agency (BKBPM) and the Secretariat of the Malang City DPRD. Based on the evaluation results, this program has been highly effective in building students' analytical skills in understanding real government practices, continued the father of seven children.
Dr. Tri Sulistyaningsih, M.Si., Head of the Department of Government Science, stated, "We see the Government Research Internship program as very effective in encouraging students' sense of responsibility toward government, politics, social, and cultural issues. In the future, this program will be expanded to the provincial, national, and international levels. Soon, we will hold a special workshop to refine the concept of this research internship so that it becomes more established, and we also plan to trademark the Government Research Internship Program as the intellectual property of the Department of Government Science, FISIP UMM," she said with enthusiasm.
The Government Research Internship program has been positively received by faculty members, students, and other stakeholders. Hevi Kurnia Hardini, S.IP., M.A. Gov, a lecturer in the Department of Government Science, said, "The research internship is very important for students because it can provide positive contributions to the students themselves. Among other things, students will learn about real government practices, build networks with stakeholders, and after graduation, they will have work experience to apply in the job market," she said. Heru Mulyono, S.IP., MT., an employee at BKBPM Malang City, stated, "We are very pleased with the internship of the Government Science students from UMM. They are serious, sportsmanlike, and willing to work hard," he said clearly.
