66 Solomon Islanders Graduate From Australia-Pacific Technical College

Sixty-six Solomon Islanders graduated with internationally recognised qualifications in five different programs from the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC in Honiara yesterday.
The new cohort of graduates was part of the second graduation ceremony held in Solomon Islands this week. They add to the 93 Solomon Islanders who graduated in 15 different programs on Tuesday, and join over 1200 APTC Solomon Islands APTC alumni.
In his keynote address, Undersecretary, Justice and Legal Affairs, Mr Karl Kuper congratulated the graduates on their achievements and acknowledged APTC’s contributions in the development of the region.
“The excellent track record of APTC graduates in employment and communities, here in Solomon Islands and in Pacific Island Countries, speaks well of APTC’s remarkable progress over the past decade. The contributions made by APTC are invaluable and will make a lasting impression on the lives of all its graduates for many years to come,” he added.
In a first-of-its-kind training for the Solomon Islands justice sector, 25 managers and staff from the Solomon Islands justice agencies graduated with Certificate IV in Leadership and Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
Mr Kuper emphasised the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs and respective agencies were proud to partner with APTC and the Australian Government for the professional development of its staff.
Mr Kuper encouraged the graduates from the various justice agencies to work together to strengthen the justice and legal system of the Solomon Islands. “You are the future leaders and it is up to you to make a difference for the sake of the younger generations to come,” he added.
Women made up almost a third of the total graduates, with 17 graduating in Certificate IV in Leadership and Management program and four in Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
A special mention was also made of the five trainers from the Solomon Islands Technical and Vocation Education and Training (TVET) sector who completed the Master Trainer program, and will now be able to deliver training to Australian standard.
This year, APTC marks a milestone of reaching 10 years of providing internationally-recognised TVET in the Pacific to over 11,000 Pacific Islanders since its establishment in 2007.
For more information, please contact the APTC Promotion and Communication Team on email: media@aptc.edu.au or kelvin.anthony@aptc.edu.au; phone: +679 702 1823.
 
(Source: APTC Media Release 29 September 2017)