Lazada Indonesia Fosters Young Talent with Kampus Merdeka Program

Nathanael Jusac Lie was ecstatic when he learned that he had been accepted into a five-month internship with Lazada in Jakarta. The 21-year-old Padjadjaran University student had applied to gain experience at the eCommerce giant through Kampus Merdeka, a program introduced by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology in Indonesia to give undergraduates internship opportunities at participating companies.   

Part of the second batch of interns to participate in the Kampus Merdeka program, Lie was one of 113 students from 38 universities who were placed with Lazada. Shortlisted from a pool of more than 41,000 applicants who applied to intern at Lazada, the students underwent a rigorous selection process that involved an online assessment followed by an interview with the eCommerce company.

Successful applicants were matched with mentors – Lazada employees who provided one-on-one mentoring sessions and on-the-job training for up to seven hours per week.

Students were also free to choose which departments they wanted to intern at, and some like Lie took the opportunity to explore fields that differed from what they were studying in school.

“Even though I am majoring in business relations, which focuses more on the global political economy, international law and organizations, I was granted my preference and assigned to the communications team. I was very happy, as I could finally explore what I have always been interested in. During my internship, I gained many different skills and received invaluable guidance from my mentors at Lazada. I was also involved in real problem-solving discussions, which challenged and honed my analytical thinking skills,” Lie said. 

Since graduating from the internship in July, Lie has become more confident than ever about his post-university career prospects. The experience has also inspired him to pursue a career in communications. 

The freedom to explore different projects and skills also proved invaluable to Nabila Nadir Luthfia, a sixth-year student from Padjadjaran University who also participated in the internship program alongside Lie. While she majors in public relations, she chose to experience working with the employer branding team and helped with “AfterClass,” a boot camp reality show that was recently developed by Lazada Foundation. The project left such an impact on Luthfia that she chose to extend her internship with Lazada and joined the third batch of Kampus Merdeka interns, who started this month.

“As I reflect upon the last six months, I realize that being a Lazadian means learning new things every day. The internship was a fun and eye-opening learning experience that also motivated us to be better versions of ourselves. To me, it perfectly illustrates one of Lazada’s core values: ‘Today’s performance is tomorrow’s baseline.’ This was possibly the best internship experience I have ever had,” Luthfia said.

Aside from participating in Kampus Merdeka, Lazada has also introduced other youth-focused initiatives of its own, not only in Indonesia but also across the region. Earlier this year, the eCommerce platform launched Lazada Foundation, which provides scholarships and internship opportunities to young people across Southeast Asia. Lazada has also been running its LazPrentice program in Indonesia and Vietnam for three years, providing final-year university students and fresh graduates with internship opportunities that pave the way to full-time employment.

These programs are important in fostering young people into the next generation of leaders to drive progress in the dynamic retail and digital commerce industry, said Evelyn Yonathan, chief people officer at Lazada Indonesia. “We understand that entering a fast-paced industry can be an unsettling experience. That is why we continue to introduce and participate in programs like Kampus Merdeka, which aim to empower youths by providing access to hands-on experience while inspiring them to follow their passion and grow their potential. We are confident that the resources and support provided by Lazada will contribute to their holistic development and enable them to be better prepared and equipped when they enter the workforce in the future.”