This year Australia and Papua New Guinea celebrate five years of successful technical and vocational education skills training in PNG through the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC).
Since its inception, the APTC in PNG has trained 951 Papua New Guinean graduates in tourism and hospitality, health, community services, and trades and technology and a further 150 will graduate at the end of this year.
Electrical certificate student Nancy Marida demonstrates her skills in the presence of Australian High Commissioner Ian Kermish.
This month the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Ian Kemish, unveiled a plaque marking the five-year milestone. "The APTC and its partners provide targeted training in areas of critical trade skills shortages in PNG and the Pacific," said Mr Kemish.
"This partnership between industry and the APTC combines the best that each has to offer, and leads to internationally recognised trade qualifications for students and national development benefits for PNG and the Pacific region. This means graduates with Australian recognised trade and service qualifications can work in a wide range of vocational careers throughout the Pacific."
Australia provided almost $150 million for the regional program over the first four years for the construction of the PNG Training Facility and for the upgrading of machine tooling facilities. The funding has enabled APTC to build a large workshop area for multi trade use, three classrooms, two computer labs, accommodation for 70 students (60 male and 10 female) and eight trainers, a dining facility and offices.
"The new facilities have seen an increase in the number of graduates with more women joining trades that used to be male dominated," said Trevor Birney, APTC Country Manager for PNG.
Approval has been given for the construction of an APTC Tourism and Hospitality training facility in Port Moresby to be delivered in-country from 2013. The new facility will include classrooms, training kitchens for commercial catering and retail bakery, and accommodation for 80 students.