Training offered by the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) has proven to be a stepping stone for individuals wanting to advance to higher levels of qualification.
 
Lavenia Colati, a deaf student, is one of APTC’s newest graduates from Fiji after completing her Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways (FSK20113). She now undertakes a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education from the University of the South Pacific.
 
The Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways (FSK20113) is a foundational skills development qualification that prepares individuals to competently join the workforce or enrol for a higher-level vocational qualification.
 
Lavenia expressed that she enjoyed the course at APTC and thanked her trainers for their support. She added that being a deaf student, English was one of those complex subjects to comprehend; however, Lavenia acknowledged her trainers’ patience with their learning pace throughout the course.
 
She recalls that the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented training difficulties as remote learning meant limited access to the interpreters from their scattered locations.
 
But, she thanked APTC staff for their swift action in arranging a classroom for the four deaf students together with an interpreter to access zoom from a common location while maintaining all COVID-safe protocols.
 
Along with three of her deaf colleagues, Lavenia was sponsored by the Fiji Australia Business Council (FABC) to train for the course. They are tremendously grateful for this kind gesture.
 
“Personally, receiving this scholarship means a lot to me. It means that you have entrusted me with the ability to be educated and be a positive change-maker in society. Thank you for your support, and I would like to meet the staff of FABC and personally thank them, it really means a lot to me,” she said.
 
Originally from Vanuabalavu, Lavenia hopes to become a teacher and is passionate about education for deaf children in the rural areas, adding that “I want to go out there and advocate for them so that they can access formal education”.
 
Her message to disabled people in the community is to “never belittle yourself and never say that education is not for you”.
She added that “do not look at your disability but at what you can do. Education is not only academic, but a vocational path is also education. If I can come up to this level, so can you”.

Eighteen Fijian women completed this program with a hospitality focus.
 
APTC is managed by TAFE Queensland (RTO 0275).

Caption: Lavenia Colati (second from right), with her deaf colleagues who took Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways