Two Australian Government Aid Initiatives in Education are working in partnership to develop the management and leadership capacity of key senior stakeholders in the TVET (Technical and Vocational Education Training) sector in Vanuatu. The Australian Government funded Australia Pacific Technical College (APTC) is delivering the Diploma of management for and the Vanuatu TVET Sector Strengthening Program. Senior TVET Program staff and senior officers from TVET-related Government and non-Government agencies including the Department of Youth Development, Sports and Training, the Vanuatu National Training Council, the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Department of Cooperatives.

Participants have been undertaking the training over the last 10 months and met again this week in Port Vila for 4 days of intensive workshop participation around the area of sustainability, a key focus for the peoples of the Pacific.

Throughout the course participants are acquiring critical skills for effective management, culminating in the award of the internationally recognised Australian "Diploma of Management" qualification. This initiative is a pilot program for APTC to its partners in the Pacific and the success of its outcomes are being favourably measured. The training program is made up of a number of competencies focused on workplace effectiveness and building their interactive and organisational capacity.

Training involves both workshop facilitation and workplace projects where participants undertake continuous improvement initiatives within their own organisations, therefore seeing the benefits of real life application of the theories.