Don’t use all the money to fund SMEs, says Unitech

By JUNIOR UKAHA
THE authorities should invest money to develop students’ innovative capabilities rather than on people who build trade stores or buy PMV buses, says University of Technology (Unitech), acting Vice-Chancellor Dr Ora Renagi.
Speaking at the opening of the National Food Testing and Monitoring Centre at the university’s Taraka Campus in Lae, Renagi said it was time things were perceived on a different level so that changes could happen and fuel development.
“I am telling those who are funding SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises) to stop looking at trade stores and PMVs now, but look at the innovative graduates from the universities,” Renagi said.
“This is the objective of this university moving forward,” he said.
“I am challenging the departments now to look outside the box.
“One of the challenges now is to train our students to not only find a job but to give a job – to become entrepreneurs.
“We have to be training and equipping our students to meet those levels.
“The university has to make sure that the training we give them meets the demands of the industry.”
Renagi said it was not good to provide training to students and find out that they could not get employed by the industries.
“The university is adjusting its curriculum to meet the industry demand,” Renagi said.
“The input from Engineers Australia is guiding the development of the curriculum so that we are training our students to industry standards.
“The vision of the university is that at the end of the day when we graduate our students and put them on the market shelves, the industry is going to come and say, yes, these are the type of the students we want.”
Renagi invited industries in the field of science, technology, business, agriculture, fisheries and communication to partner the university.