APTC supports San Isidro with new supplies

BY JENNIFER KUSAPA

THE Australian High Commission, through Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) has supported the San Isidro Rural Training Centre with transportation, IT equipment and covid supplies yesterday.

High Commissioner Dr Lachlan Strahan travelled to the centre in west Guadalcanal yesterday to personally hand over the donation.

Strahan said Australia and Solomon Islands have a big relationship and last Friday during the visit of the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, it was highlighted during the meeting with the Prime Minister that APTC has been doing great in the country.

“Every country cannot prosper if it fails to educate its people and as I have said a number of times you cannot have everyone going to university to get a qualification,” Strahan said.

Australian High Commissioner Lachlan Strahan handing over the items to the school principal Sister Maria Fe Rollo.

“And it is very important that the vocational and technical education sector is as strong as can be, of course many jobs in the future will still be in that broad sector,” he added.

“As we go forward, we make sure that the work of APTC is connected to other things we do here, and I said to the Prime Minister that APTC is directly connected to our labour mobility program and in our infrastructure program.”

Strahan said it is absolutely important that everything Australia does is genuinely inclusive that no one is left behind and no one is forgotten that every person has a chance to realize their full potential.

Therefore, Dr Strahan said they wanted to make sure their program genuinely includes people with disability, including deaf people.

San Isidro students infront of the 15 seater bus that was handed over yesterday.

Meanwhile, APTC Country Director for Solomon Islands and Kiribati Abigail Chang said San Isidro is the 8th national training provider partner and they are hoping to be able to reach 10 national training provider partners by the end of this month.

She said it is for the first time they had the opportunity to select San Isidro for training provider as for the other seven training providers they were pre-selected and APTC supported them.

Catholic Education Secretary Modester on behalf of the Catholic Education Authority thanked the Australian High Commission through APTC for the assistance.

She said people living with disability are often neglected and left voiceless in Solomon Islands.

“Today your contribution has given us strength to regain our confidence to shine out to become effective asset and resources person in SI.”

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