The governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to working in partnership to improve outcomes from Papua New Guinea’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector and increase the number of skilled workers in the country.
PNG has a critical shortage of qualified workers with technical and vocational skills, with less than two percent of PNG’s population holding a vocational or technical certificate.
As a result, PNG has experienced a shortage of skilled labour to keep up with growing industry demand.
Skills development will be essential to PNG’s economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. Continued access to education and skills is vital for livelihoods, human development and national advancement.
Australia will provide AUD45 million (PGK107 million) over the next 6 years to support the Australia Pacific Technical Coalition (APTC) to work in three locations outside of Port Moresby, starting in the Highlands Region and Bougainville.
Both governments will work to ensure more women and disadvantaged groups are able to access and complete TVET training.
Efforts by both PNG and Australian governments to improve TVET will enable more Papua New Guineans to grow local industries, as well as benefit from opportunities offered by Australia’s Pacific Labour Mobility programs.
This joint commitment was affirmed during the signing of a Statement of Intent today by Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Nick Kuman, and Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Alex Hawke.
The statement was signed during a virtual leaders’ summit between the Prime Minister, James Marape, and Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100