MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
THE HON BOB MCMULLAN MP, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE AND THE HON DUNCAN KERR SC MP, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR PACIFIC ISLAND AFFAIRS
More than 50 students have begun classes at the new Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) in Samoa.
Students from Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea have joined their Samoan classmates at the new campus in Apia.
The Australian Government is funding the four-year A$150 million APTC initiative to address critical skill needs and contribute to growth in the Pacific. The APTC is offering training for Pacific Islanders in tourism, cookery, hospitality, automotive, construction, electrical and manufacturing trades.
Visiting Australian Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, and Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Duncan Kerr, today met new students at the APTC training centre at the National University of Samoa.
'The Samoan students are among more than 350 students from around the Pacific starting classes at the four APTC campuses in Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu,' Mr McMullan said.
'Through the APTC, Pacific Island students have the opportunity to gain internationally recognised Australian qualifications.'
Mr Kerr said students would improve skills and job prospects and contribute to the economic development in the region.
'The Australia-Pacific Technical College provides a pathway to skills and prosperity,' Mr Kerr said. 'It is both practical and symbolic of our close relationship with the nations of the Pacific.'
The APTC started in July last year with its first courses in hospitality in Vanuatu.
Students from around the Pacific also have the opportunity to access the APTC through a scholarship program. Around 150 scholarships have already been awarded to students commencing training this year.
The APTC is working with Pacific Island governments, education institutions and business to ensure graduates are skilled to meet employment needs in the region.
Further information on the APTC is available at www.aptc.edu.au
Media Contacts:
For Mr McMullan
Margaret Watt (with Mr McMullan) +61 (0) 438 271 749
Sabina Curatolo (in Canberra) +61 (0) 400 318 205
For Mr Kerr
'Alopi Latukefu (with Mr Kerr) +61 (0) 434 160 542
Brian Mitchell (in Hobart) +61 (0) 3 6234 5255 / +61 (0) 434 160 539