Twenty-six students successfully completed a Diploma of Management at the Australia Pacific Technical College (APTC) in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on 26 September 2014. This is one of the biggest groups to complete the course since it was first offered at the Vanuatu campus in 2011.

The students successfully completed eight units of competency covering various topics relating to project management, self-management, continuous improvement, report writing, teamwork, sustainability, finance and managing peoples’ performance. The majority of students came from various government ministries, diplomatic missions and the private sector. Through the Australian Government-funded Roads for Development program, ten staff including senior managers and directors from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities also completed the course.

“The management course is practical, relevant and tangible to our place of work”,said Mr Samuel Namuri, Director of the Public Works Department (PWD).

“As a direct result of the training, PWD managers are more empowered and more confident”, he added.

There were also other senior managers from the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the National Disaster Management Office, the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian High Commission and from the private sector.

The Australian and Vanuatu governments, which saw the significance and need for equipping their managers with the vital managerial skills to sustain their organisations, are thanked and congratulated for their sponsorship.

Sam Andikar, the Chief Executive Officer of newly established Millennium Tours Limited (Santo), also took part in the program. The APTC is proud to sponsor Mr Andikar to undertake this course to enable him to advance to another level in his career path.

Funded by the Australian Government, APTC offers a range of courses in areas such as hospitality, community services, tourism and other trades across its campuses in Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. For more information about APTC, please visit: www.aptc.edu.au