The international internship program is a means for students to develop professional competencies, improve their foreign language skills, and gain work experience in a multicultural environment. One of the international internship destinations for students is Laguna Redang Island Resort, a resort located on Redang Island, Malaysia, and known as one of the most popular marine tourism destinations in Southeast Asia.
The journey to the internship location began on May 7, 2026. The students departed from Semarang for Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta before continuing their international flight to Malaysia. They arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7:00 PM local time. Upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur, the journey continued by land via a bus provided by the resort to Kuala Terengganu. This leg of the trip took approximately eight hours. From Kuala Terengganu, the journey to Redang Island continued by land to the jetty, a 40-minute drive from the city center or Sultan Mahmud Airport. Next, the students crossed over to Redang Island by ferry, a journey taking about 45 minutes to an hour. Overall, the journey from Kuala Terengganu to Redang Island took about 1.5 to 2 hours before they finally arrived at their internship location.
Upon arrival at the resort, the students were given time to rest first after a long journey. The following day, the students participated in various orientation and training activities organized by the resort for a full day. The training covered an introduction to the work environment, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the company’s work culture. After the entire training program was completed, the Human Resources (HR) department escorted the students to their respective departments according to their assigned placements to begin their internship program.
In this internship program, students are placed in two main departments: Food and Beverage (F&B) and Front Office (FO). In the Food and Beverage (F&B) department, students are directly involved in serving food and beverages to resort guests. Tasks include serving food and beverages to guests in accordance with applicable service standards, clearing tables and removing food scraps after guests have finished dining, promoting beverage products available in the restaurant, taking and processing guests orders, and learning how to use the cash register system for payment transactions. Meanwhile, in the Front Office (FO) department, students learn various tasks related to guest service and front desk operations. Activities include learning guest check-in and check-out procedures, operating payment systems using electronic payment terminals, issuing room key cards and entering guest data into the system, as well as receiving and handling phone calls from both in-house guests and prospective guests outside the resort. Through placements in both departments, students gain diverse work experience and a broader understanding of resort operations. In addition to enhancing their technical skills, this internship also helps students develop interpersonal skills, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability in an international work environment.
During their internship, the students gained a variety of interesting experiences related to both culture and the professional world. One particularly memorable experience was discovering the culinary characteristics of Terengganu’s cuisine, which tends to have a sweeter flavor profile compared to the food commonly found in Indonesia. This provided the students with a new perspective on understanding cultural differences through local specialties. Additionally, the work environment at the resort provided opportunities to interact with tourists from various countries. When serving guests, the interns used several languages, including Malay, English, and Mandarin. This experience helped the students improve their cross-cultural communication skills and foreign language proficiency, which are essential in the international hospitality and tourism industries.
The implementation of the international internship program at Laguna Redang Island Resort is supported by funding from the World Class University (WCU) program at Diponegoro University. Students receive this financial support in the form of a grant of Rp 5,500,000.00 (five million five hundred thousand rupiah) to cover the costs of processing their internship visas. This reflects Universitas Diponegoro’s commitment to enhancing educational quality, expanding international networks, and providing students with opportunities to gain learning and work experience in a global environment. With the support of World Class University (WCU) funding, students can participate in the international internship program more effectively, thereby enhancing their academic and professional competencies at the international level.