Light Steel Construction Training for the Community of Cawang Urban Village, East Jakarta

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FORMOSA NEWS - Jakarta -Rising Timber Costs Drive Jakarta Residents to Master Eco-Friendly Light Steel Construction. The comprehensive vocational training program was designed and executed by M. Maria Sudarwani, Sri Pare Eni, Ktut Silvanita Mangani, Setiyadi, Kefin Grardiyan S.D. Siga, and Friska Grezlie Kase from Universitas Kristen Indonesia. Operating in close collaboration with industrial manufacturer PT Kencana Maju Bersama and the Indonesian Work Application Practitioners Association (HAPI), the Universitas Kristen Indonesia team addressed critical skill gaps in a high-density municipal zone. The project demonstrates how direct academic and industrial intervention can modernize local construction practices, lower housing maintenance costs, and reduce the environmental footprint of dense metropolitan neighborhoods.

Addressing the Urban Construction Materials Crisis
Cawang Urban Village, situated within the Kramat Jati Sub-district of East Jakarta, spans 179.04 hectares and is home to a dense population of 38,477 residents across 13,282 households. The local workforce primarily relies on trading, private sector jobs, and civil service. Within this heavily populated residential environment, standard properties have long depended on conventional timber for internal structural frameworks, including ceilings and wall partitions. However, severe shortages in the regional wood supply and subsequent price inflation have rendered traditional materials increasingly unsustainable for typical homeowners and neighborhood builders. To solve this dilemma, the Universitas Kristen Indonesia researchers selected light steel as the ideal alternative material. Light steel is a specialized metal alloy processed to optimize weight, flexibility, and resistance to environmental damage. From an ecological standpoint, the material aligns perfectly with green construction standards because it is 100% recyclable, maintains high dimensional precision that minimizes building waste, and completely eliminates the need for toxic chemical anti-termite applications. Despite these benefits, a preliminary field assessment by the Universitas Kristen Indonesia team identified three core obstacles: local builders lacked knowledge of standardized steel specifications, lacked practical framework assembly skills, and lacked access to structured technical training.

Methodology: A Participatory, Practice-Based Learning Framework
To resolve these local challenges, the Universitas Kristen Indonesia community service team deployed a Participatory Community Empowerment approach. This methodology consciously shifts the focus of structural development from "Working for the Community" to "Working with the Community," transforming local residents into active participants through Focus Group Discussions and collaborative planning sessions. The intervention was systematically organized across four distinct sequential phases to guarantee an effective transfer of knowledge:

• Preparation and Orientation: The Universitas Kristen Indonesia faculty assembled the technical team, finalized municipal permissions, prepared instructional blueprints, and coordinated with corporate partners to align the training with community needs.
  
• Field Observation: Researchers executed direct structural surveys, community interviews, and photographic assessments within Cawang Urban Village to gather baseline data on local housing conditions.
  
• Program Implementation: Instructors delivered interactive theoretical lectures regarding material profiles, standard national safety codes (SNI 8399-2017), and exact cutting metrics, followed by an intensive hands-on workshop.
  
• Evaluation and Follow-Up: Experts evaluated the physical outputs created by the participants, looking specifically at structural safety, joint strength, and dimensional compliance with technical blueprints.
  

During the practical workshop phase, which took place over a focused three-hour session in the outdoor facility of the Cawang municipal office, local craftsmen were divided into working groups. Armed with power cutting machines, manual shears, electric drills, and specialized screws, the participants worked directly with actual industrial materials to measure, cut, and assemble miniature model ceiling grids and partition frameworks.

Key Findings and Project Success Rates
The practice-based learning framework yielded strong measurable improvements in the technical capacity of the Cawang community. The key empirical findings recorded by the Universitas Kristen Indonesia research team include:

• 85% Proficiency Rate: Field evaluations proved that 85% of the training participants successfully constructed the steel frameworks with satisfactory structural accuracy.
  
• Safety Code Compliance: The vast majority of local builders independently verified compliance with occupational safety procedures and met the strict dimensional guidelines outlined in the technical working drawings.
  
• Educational Material Generation: The physical steel prototypes constructed during the session were donated to the Cawang urban village office to serve as permanent visual aids for other residents seeking to learn modern building techniques.
  

The data confirms that combining initial classroom instruction with immediate practical application is highly effective for rapidly improving technical competencies within urban populations.

Real-World Implications and Socio-Economic Impact
The success of the structural training program carried out by Universitas Kristen Indonesia carries major long-term benefits for municipal policymakers, regional trade associations, and the broader public. By earning official training certificates and mastering standardized steel assembly methods, local Cawang craftsmen have enhanced their professional profiles, allowing them to secure higher-paying jobs in the metropolitan construction market. For homeowners, transitioning to light steel frameworks substantially reduces long-term maintenance costs because the alloy prevents structural issues caused by dry rot, humidity, and termite damage. Furthermore, the tripartite collaboration model established during this project linking university faculty, local government leaders, and industrial manufacturers like PT Kencana Maju Bersama offers a clear roadmap for urban development. The researchers recommend that provincial authorities replicate this specific training framework across other densely populated sub-districts in East Jakarta to accelerate technical self-reliance and promote eco-friendly building practices throughout the capital.

Author Profiles
M. Maria Sudarwani, S.T., M.T. is a senior lecturer and researcher at Universitas Kristen Indonesia. She specializes in architectural design, sustainable housing, vernaculer building methods, and regional community empowerment planning.
Sri Pare Eni, S.T., M.T. is a faculty member within the Department of Architecture at Universitas Kristen Indonesia. Her expertise centers on urban spatial design, community-driven architecture, and participatory planning.
Ktut Silvanita Mangani, S.E., M.M. is an expert in management and economic analysis at Universitas Kristen Indonesia. Her work focuses on structural cost evaluation, local business development, and socio-economic empowerment.
Setiyadi, Kefin Grardiyan S.D. Siga, and Friska Grezlie Kase are technical specialists and research contributors at Universitas Kristen Indonesia, focusing on practical structural training, safety systems, and vocational instruction development.

Source
M. Maria Sudarwani, Sri Pare Eni, Ktut Silvanita Mangani, Setiyadi, Kefin Grardiyan S.D. Siga, dan Friska Grezlie Kase. Light Steel Construction Training for the Community of Cawang Urban Village, East Jakarta. Asian Journal of Community Services (AJCS). Vol. 5, No. 5 2026, Halaman 257-266.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ajcs.v5i5.26
URL: https://journalajcs.my.id/index.php/ajcs