The Role of Students as Agent of Change in Empowering Micro Enterprises

Some studies can confirmed that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) represent themselves as highly significant collective actors of developments in all geographic contexts. Although the studies that see contributions of university in the MSME empowerment is still minimal and less comprehensive. As an intellectual actor, the university has a wide range of areas of expertise that can be exploited more broadly to the community than to the extent of classroom learning. And through a intensive, specific and distinctive assistance model, this study would like to explore what and how the role of students as a representation of the university as well as a agent of change in empowering micro enterprises. The method used in this study is a qualitative by interviewing some informants in the Community Development Program 2017 initiated by the University of Prasetiya Mulya which is directly related to the process of empowering micro enterprises. This study found some of the dominant and specific roles such as educators, researchers and evaluators. Coupled with several empowerment roles such as building relationships and consensus as well as providing technical assistance related to some aspects in business management. As well as other common roles that appear in the assistance process like enablers, motivators, facilitators, initiators, and brokers. With a live-in model in business partners’ house adopted by the Community Development Program, students have many opportunities and roles to explore methods of enhancing the capacity of business partners through intensive assistance and practical learning in developing a business.