For Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), making financial reports is important. It will be useful in controlling operational costs and evaluating business performance. From these records, business actors can also develop their business according to their capacity and abilities.
Because of its importance, from February to August 2023, 63 Vocational students, Accounting Study Program, Vocational Education Program, Universitas Indonesia (UI), divided into several teams, were moved to provide assistance to 15 MSMEs in Jabodetabek. The fifteen MSMEs are Groots coffee; Dapur Bu Diana; Y-OUTS; Ilvy Ashila Make Up; Little Smile Decoration; PT. Unta Merah Kreasi; En3 Coffee & Kitchen Cibinong; CV Taisi Corporation; Tamelo Atap Coffee; Dels Cakery; Moses Coffee, Messes Roastery, Mosses Syrup; Jakarta Executive Clinic; Seqapla Coffee; PT KAIZEN GENETICS INDONESIA; and Bunna Coffee. The assistance aims to make financial reports and bookkeeping for their MSMEs.
These UI Vocational students are under the guidance of Andhita Yukihana Rahmayanti, SE.Ak., M.Si., CA., CPA., CBV., Cert.DA., from the Accounting Study Program, as the Chief Servant of this Community Service program. During the mentoring period, students were given time to look for MSMEs as partners, collect data, make reports, and present reports at the end of the lecture period. The initial step begins with forming a team consisting of four members plus a companion (lecturer).
Next, they conduct a survey and assessment of the capabilities of the targeted MSMEs. Then, they submit their service to MSMEs and provide direct assistance in preparing the required financial reports and tax reports.
The financial reports produced also follow the regulations written in the Financial Accounting Standards for Micro, Small and Medium Entities, to ensure that the reports produced are more credible and comply with applicable regulations. Apart from that, financial reports are no longer prepared using Excel, but instead using the Accurate application. The use of this application is an implementation of collaboration between the UI Vocational Accounting Study Program and Accurate since 2019 and all service students have also been certified by Accurate.
In this process, students can also learn directly how to run business finances and improve their ability to work in a team. The MSME assistance is carried out based on the UI Vocational Accounting study program curriculum.
In the fourth semester curriculum, students need to implement practical courses through community service. The mentoring process is carried out periodically from visits to each MSME, to the preparation of financial reports that have been completed and given to each MSME. In addition, this is also useful for calculating the tax obligations that must be paid by MSME actors.
In terms of taxation, students also guide MSME players to follow developments in the latest tax regulations and increase their awareness of paying their tax obligations. Students also guide MSMEs to determine the right fee rates according to the services they sell.
According to Deandra, owner of the UMKM Deandra Personal Training which is located in Kemang with one employee, she felt helped by the program run by Vocational UI. She said, “I now know the financial projections of the business I run and understand the basics of accounting to apply them to my business.”
This was also conveyed by Gilang Ramadhan, owner of UMKM Bunna Coffee, which is located in Senopati with a workforce of ten people, “Thanks to the help of UI Vocational students, I have come to understand the tax obligations that must be fulfilled as an MSME operator.”
In addition to providing benefits for MSMEs, the program has a positive impact on students in terms of increasing knowledge and insight into the business world. Students can also see new business opportunities and innovations that can be implemented. The Director of the UI Vocational Education Program, Padang Wicaksono, S.E., Ph.D, said that this activity can provide experiences for students to develop and make positive contributions to society and the country. “I hope that the MSME assistance can provide benefits, both for MSMEs and students. Besides that, UI Vocational Program continues to strive to provide community service, both from students and lecturers,” said Padang.