Mr Isaac Opeti is a trainer in Electrotechnology at Bougainville Technical College in Tinputz. He is passionate about training up skilled electrical tradespeople.

In 2008, he completed the equivalent of National Certificates 1 and 2 and worked in Port Moresby. Having lived through the Bougainville conflict, Mr Opeti made the decision to return to Bougainville and help his people. His passion made him join the Bougainville Technical College (BTC), where he teaches Electrotechnology.

In semester 2, 2022, Mr Opeti took a step further in upgrading his skills by completing the Australian Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (UEE30811) course delivered by the Australia Pacific Training Coalition. The new qualification is helping Mr Opeti build his professional capacity as a trainer in his field.

He has brought back his learning to BTC which is benefiting his class. He says the use of improved delivery materials is a welcome addition for his students, and even fellow teachers have embraced parts of the qualification and are now implementing them in their own delivery.

Mr Opeti was impressed with the quality of the training delivered by APTC, including students’ attitudes toward learning and time management and the importance of safety and the environment. One of the highlights of his study was the industry visits, which he adds were a “real eye opener and showed the development and opportunities within my trade”.

The upskilling of trainers from national Higher Education Institutes such as BTC is supported under the PNGAus Partnership through the Sub-national Growth Investment (SNGI). The SNGI aims to improve technical and vocational education and training in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Opeti hopes to further his studies in Australia and bring back skills and knowledge to be able to introduce National Certificates 3 and 4 to his Bougainville students.