Don Bosco Technical Institute signs collaborative agreement for funding

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Technical Institute, located in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, is working to build partnerships with industries to ensure that graduating youth have a smooth transition into employment. In June, the institute signed a collaborative agreement with Total Energy for scholarship funding.

The program recently held an event to award 90 students studying technical trades at the institute with scholarships for their continued education. It was also a time for Total Energy staff to meet the recipients of these scholarships.

In addition to students this year, the program is set to offer spots to a second cohort of 90 students next year. The scholarship spots will be given to students from the Gulf province and then extended to other provinces, working toward optimizing opportunities for young Papua New Guineans.

At the agreement signing with Don Bosco Technical Institute, Jean-Marc Noiray, managing director for Total Energy, said that priority is given to students from the Gulf because many often miss out on opportunities to advance their education. He said, “I do believe that every human being is born with the same amount of potential and some are lucky enough to develop it whilst others are not.”

Noiray reminded the students at the scholarship event to use their educational opportunities to be exemplary community members. He further encouraged them to register with the job portal once they have graduated from their courses to ensure that their skills are utilized. Total Energy also donated information technology equipment to the institute to be used by the students in workshops.

“Salesian missionaries provide primary and secondary education as well as technical skills training to prepare youth for the workforce,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Collaborations like this help to ensure that youth are gainfully employed after they graduate. This enables them to be self-sufficient and give back to their families and communities.”

Papua New Guinea has a population of approximately 7.5 million people. It is a resource-rich country with oil, gas and gold reserves as well as fertile land capable of producing high crop yields. Despite this, an estimated 40% of Papua New Guineans live below the poverty line of $1.25 per day, according to the World Bank.

Close to 50% of adults are illiterate and 25% of children are unable to attend school in Papua New Guinea. Part of the problem with getting to school, work and hospitals has to do with the country’s infrastructure. In rural areas, where nearly 88% of the population resides, there are few roads or means of transportation to get to schools or places of employment.

###

Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Papua New Guinea – Linking up with Industry

Don Bosco Technical Institute

Don Bosco Technical Institute Facebook

Salesian Missions – Papua New Guinea

World Bank – Papua New Guinea Poverty