3255 Follow-up to DBTI and Australia Pacific Tech Partnership
austraLasia #3255
Follow-up to DBTI and Australia
Pacific Tech Partnership
Fr
Ambrose Pereira sdb
HENDERSON:
5 August 2013 --
Australian Minister for International Development, Melissa
Parke
visited Don Bosco Technical Institute, Henderson, Solomon
Islands on
24th July. She was welcomed by Fr Ambrose Pereira
sdb, Rector, Ms
Camari Bainivalu, Principal and Mr Bede O’Brien, APTC
Operations
Manager for Solomon Islands, Salesians, staff and
students. The
Minister was accompanied by Joshua Wilson, Minister’s Adviser;
James
Batley, AusAID’s Deputy Director General, former head of RAMSI
and High
Commissioner to the Solomon Islands and Sue Connell, head of
AusAID in
the Solomon Islands.
Under the recently signed APTC-DBTI partnership Minister Parke
was
happy to view new tools provided under the partnership and
visit
facilities and classrooms upgraded through the
partnership. The
students have been highly motivated and encouraged as was seen
by their
enthusiasm in the workshops and the short cultural
performance. The
Second Year students are preparing for competency at Level
2. They
look forward to greater opportunities and avenues for
themselves in
life.
It was wonderful to note that the Minister was interested in
knowing
more about the life of our Father and Founder St. John Bosco.
Meanwhile, 16 participants received their Certificate of
Completion
after attending the short course on ‘Interpreting
Architectural
Drawings’ for RTC Instructors on 2nd August, 2013.
Solomon Islands Build Environment Professionals Association
(SIBEPA)
coordinated the EU funded programme in partnership with
Solomon Islands
National University (SINU). The four weeks programme,
which commenced
on the 8th July was much appreciated by all the participants
who have
committed themselves to share their skills with their students
in the
rural areas.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Glynn Galo appreciated the
possibility of learning and transferring those skills.
Mr John Wate, Director TVET and EU representative expressed
his thanks
to the EU, SINU and all those responsible for ensuring that
the course
was well conducted.
“I have enjoyed the programme”, said Mike Puke. “Besides
the inputs
and the presentations, we had discussions and field trips that
have
given us a greater insight into architectural drawings”.
The
participants have learnt much from this course and we look
forward to
more training in future.
