NCDC gives K2.3m in fees to TVET schools

Caption: Governor Parkop posing with Don Bosco Technical Secondary students




By MATTHEW VARI

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 (Midweek Chronicle, PNG)





THE National Capital District Governor, PowesParkop, officially presented 15 cheques to the tune of K2.3m to principles of various technical vocational institutions in NCD under his Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) scholarship scheme, at the Don Bosco Technical Institute.

Initiated by the governor, the scholarship scheme is aimed at creating opportunities for both school-leavers, and non-school-leavers that have been left out of the formal education system through sponsored training at Technical and Vocational Institutes.

Co-ordinator of the TVET Program, Julius Tamah, said that since its establishment in 2008- the TVET program had sponsored over 8,000 students with almost half of the number in the workforce to date.

“Some of our students have even gone on to be students at tertiary institutions like the University of Technology in Lae,”Tamah said.

“It is a testament to you that if they can do it, then you all can succeed in what you want to achieve.”

He said that in total, 2,050 students had been accepted under the scheme to 15 institutions for 2014- namely Don Bosco Technical Institute, Don Bosco Technical Secondary, Limana Vocational, Works Institute of Technology, Morata Lions Vocational, Port Moresby Technical College, Koki Vocational, MainoHeduru, Badili Vocational, Caritas, Hohola Youth Development Centre, Port Moresby Business College, South Pac Industrial Centre, and International Training Institute.

In his address to the school heads and students who received scholarships present, Governor Parkop said that in its seventh year of implementation- the main idea of the TVET scheme was to reach out to the young men and women.

“I want to reach out to the school leavers and the non-school-leavers, and I am pleased with the outcome so far with a long list of our students getting employed,” Governor Parkop said.

“With K7.4 million spent to date since 2008, it is worth it considering the massive expenditure currently undertaken on infrastructure projects.”

“We must balance development with our human resource also, because as a city without natural resource, our number one and only resource is our people.”

He said that 2014’s scholarship allocation was an increase from 2013 by 200 percent, reiterating his government’s policy to ‘never leave anyone behind’.

“I will give you a first, a second, and a third chance until you succeed, we cannot accept the alternative where the system kicks you out,” he told recipients.

“This year we received 3,000 applications for funding assistance and we could only approve 2,050, but next year we will reach out to the extra 1,000 so that they do not feel left out.”

He concluded that the main reliance in the country was set mainly in the extractive and agricultural industries, and for them both to run efficiently- it is the skilled workforce that will propel the industries forward.

“I congratulate all of you, and remind you that this is an opportunity that is up to you to decide if you want to improve your life- we have done our part and now the rest is up to you,” he said.