College set to offer diploma courses

By MICHAEL LAI
Port Moresby Technical College will offer diplomas in electrical engineering, printing and graphic arts next year, deputy principal academic Mitim Jake says.
He said the school had been offering technical vocational education training (Tvet) in six departments with trade certificates and now had plans to trial the two diploma programmes.
Jake said after the graduation on Thursday that staff and teachers were already prepared to start the programme next year with enrolment of the first batch of students.
“The school is now implementing the PNG national qualification framework, in which the students will do qualification one, two and three before they continue into the diploma programmes,” he said.
“Certificate one is done in one semester, (certificate) two in another semester and (certificate) three in another semester.
“The fourth semester will the diploma programme. Those who graduate with certificate two will continue into certificate 3 and do their diploma programme.
“Students have already applied for next year’s enrolment.
“The governing council has gone ahead with advertisement of position vacancies and we are ready for students.”
Jake said certificate two was equivalent to apprenticeship.
He said the printing and graphic arts in digital and multimedia production would be liaised with University of PNG arts department.
Jake said the diploma in electrical engineering may be connected to Unitech in Lae for further engagement of degree programmes.
“We are trialling out these two next year,” he said.
“By 2020, we will get on with diploma courses for other departments.”