The Port Moresby Technical College Campus in Idubada, Port Moresby was the venue for the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) graduation ceremony on Tuesday, 25th November. 

APTC is a development initiative funded by the Australian Government to deliver training and to increase the supply of skilled workers in targeted sectors in the Pacific region.  APTC has campuses in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

The graduation ceremony recognised the achievements of over 145 students who completed their studies at the Certificate III, Certificate IV and Diploma levels in Automotive Technology, Carpentry, Children’s Services, Commercial Cookery, Engineering – Fabrication Trade, Fitting and Machining, Home and Community Care/Aged Care, Hospitality Operations, Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology, Patisserie, Tourism, Hospitality, Training and Assessment, and Youth Work. 

APTC Chief Executive Officer, Ms Denise O’Brien hosted over 200 invited guests who joined family and friends of the graduates to celebrate the successful completion of the APTC programs in which they were enrolled.

Of the graduating students, 34 were women. All graduates are PNG nationals who completed their studies at either the APTC PNG Campus or other APTC campuses in Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu. 

The keynote address was delivered by PNG’s Minister Counsellor for Development Cooperation for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), James Hall.

The Minister Counsellor congratulated the graduates, saying “skilled workforces are vital to this country, to productivity and a nation’s competitiveness and progress”. He added that employers who included Governments, development partners, and industry stakeholders would benefit from an adequate supply of highly skilled workers.