A total of 21 students from the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) graduated with a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Auki, the provincial capital of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands on 1 June.

Since APTC’s establishment, more than 950 Solomon Islanders have graduated from APTC. Of this, about 150 have received an ECEC (previously known as Children’s Services) qualification.

APTC is an innovative development project funded by the Australian Government, delivering Australian-standard skills and qualifications for a wide range of vocational careers for skilled workers across the Pacific.

APTC has been successfully delivering the ECEC course from Auki since February 2015, with continued support from the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development (MEHRD) in Malaita Province.

Acting Malaita Provincial Premier, Honourable Mr Joe Heroáu delivered the keynote address at the graduation ceremony.

The graduating class was the second group of ECEC students to have graduated from Auki. The ECEC course helps those working in early childhood education to develop and facilitate programs to address the learning and development needs of children up to six years of age.

Currently, a group of 25 from Don Bosco Kola Ridge in Honiara are undertaking the ECEC course.

The Auki graduation ceremony was the second one to be held in the Solomon Islands for this year. The first ceremony was held in Honiara on 10 May.

APTC continues to work with industry partners and the Skills for Economic Growth program to further support the development of the TVET sector in Solomon Islands.

In addition to its campus in the Solomon Islands, APTC has campuses in Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.