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ITS Campus, GLC News — The communication and English language skills training provided by the Global Language Center (GLC) at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) is part of the students’ preparation for the Student Achievement Election (Pilmapres). Through training in verbal skills, public speaking, presenting ideas, and question-and-answer sessions in English, GLC ITS supports students in preparing for one of the aspects evaluated during the Pilmapres selection process.
Mr. Rizal Kuddah SPd MPd, an English instructor at GLC ITS who also serves as a Pilmapres mentor, explained that GLC plays a role in developing students’ communication skills, particularly in conveying ideas and responding to questions in English. Meanwhile, the content of their ideas is developed together with their academic advisors.
“GLC helps train these high-achieving students to convey their ideas in English, answer questions, engage in Q&A sessions, and give presentations. So, we focus on the verbal skills of these high-achieving students,” explained Mr. Rizal.
In the 2026 Pilmapres, GLC ITS supported Intan Fitri Hardyanti from the Department of Medical Technology in the Bachelor’s category and Ishmatu Aulia Rizky Kirana from the Department of Instrumentation Engineering in the Diploma category. Both had previously won first place in the 2026 Pilmapres LLDIKTI Region VII East Java and earned the right to represent East Java at the national level. As part of the Pilmapres process, students went through several selection stages, starting from the university level, LLDIKTI (region), national document screening, and finally the national selection.
The mentoring was conducted in person through 10 sessions over approximately five weeks. Both students participated in the training sessions together, covering public speaking, questions and answers in English, presenting ideas to the judges, formal presentations, and Leaderless Group Discussions (LGD) to develop critical thinking skills. “The students, who initially spoke haltingly, were eventually able to convey their ideas in English more fluently,” Mr. Rizal said. For approximately five years, he has mentored students preparing to participate in the Pilmapres.
As a result, both students advanced to the national level. At the 2026 National Pilmapres, Ishmatu Aulia Rizky Kirana won third place in the Diploma category, building on her previous achievement of first place at the LLDIKTI Region VII East Java level.
This mentoring program also supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Quality Education, by developing students’ communication, learning, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, communication skills and the ability to convey ideas in a structured manner are relevant to SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, particularly in preparing them to meet the demands of the professional world.
Mr. Rizal hopes that the mentoring of high-achieving students can continue through continuous regeneration across student cohorts. He also encourages students to actively participate in various non-academic activities and competitions as part of their personal development. In his view, students who have gained experience in various competitions can serve as mentors for future students, thereby creating a sustainable cycle of achievement within the ITS community. (*)
Written by: Alzena Mayla Shabrina
Editor: Global Language Center, ITS