Over 100 students from the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) attended the Small Business workshop designed to help build entrepreneurship skills for students after they complete their technical and vocational studies at the college. 

The workshop, which was organised as part of the APTC2Work program, was held at the Pacific Fusion Restaurant at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala campus in Suva. 

The APTC2Work program is an innovative approach by APTC to help prepare its students to return to their work environment and to develop business skills. 

APTC2Work tutors for its campus in Fiji, Niteshni Goundar and Imtiaz Ali, said that the workshop aimed to boost the confidence of students who want to run small enterprises in the future. 

“Our students can become successful entrepreneurs who can manage their businesses using the technical and vocational skills that they have learned at APTC. These small businesses, will in turn, create employment and help grow the economies of our Pacific Island nations,” they added. 

The guest speakers at the workshop included representatives from the Suva City Council, National Centre for Small and Micro Enterprises Development, Reserve Bank of Fiji and Westpac Fiji. They shared their expert knowledge on various aspects of running a successful business. 

Former APTC graduates, Milika Waqanisau and Hoon Sang who run their own businesses also shared their experiences at the workshop. They reminded participants that a person needs to work extra hard to make their business into a success story. 

“A vision should be greater than the person who has it. Its accomplishment must be the result of many people bringing many resources to the job,” added Milika, who graduated from the Early Childhood Education and Care program. 

The workshop helped students gain valuable knowledge on how to set up small businesses. 

Sushil Chand, one of the workshop participants, said that the workshop helped him develop his financial skills. Sushil says he will utilise the skills he has learnt at the workshop in the running of his electrical business. Similarly, Sandeep Chand, a student in the Automotive Engineering program, shared that proper book-keeping (touched on in the workshop) was essential in measuring the success of a business. 

 A similar workshop is planned to be held in April.