I am pleased to announce the Australian Government will provide $149.5 million for the establishment and operation of a new Australia-Pacific Technical College. The college will provide Australian-standard training to Pacific islands students from throughout the region and will be a significant resource for island countries.
It will be headquartered in Suva and will include training centres and country offices in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu. An important element will be ensuring access by students from all island countries, including the smaller island states. This will be assisted by a generous scholarship scheme, worth $10 million in the first four years.
The college will offer courses in hospitality and tourism, health and community services, automotive trades, manufacturing and construction and electrical trades. The first intake of students is scheduled for July 2007 and it is hoped that in the first four years, 3000 students will graduate.
Courses will be delivered by Australian registered training organisations, contracted to the Australian Government's overseas aid agency, AusAID. The college will have close links to industry to ensure the relevance of training to employment.
The college will assist economic growth in Pacific island countries by addressing skills shortages and increasing workforce competitiveness, and will also assist mobility of skilled workers between the Pacific and developed countries.