Duo pioneer Aust’s study, internship plan in PNG

The National Education

TWO Australian students are the first to undertake an internship and studies in Papua New Guinea under Australia’s New Colombo Plan (NCP).
The NCP is a signature initiative of the Australian government, which aims to lift knowledge of Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting young Australians study and undertake internships in the region.
It involves a prestigious scholarship programme for study of up to one academic year, internships and mentorships of up to six months and a flexible mobility grant programme for both short and longer term study, internships, mentorships, practicums and research.
The duo, from New South Wales are the first under the scholarship programme and chose PNG out of the 40 countries covered by the NCP.
Twenty two-year old Dylan Male, a fourth-year agriculture science student at Charles Sturt University in Australia, is undertaking his study component at the PNG University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae, after completing an internship with Newcrest Ltd attached to the Wafi Golpu Joint Venture (WGJV).
“There are a lot of reasons I chose PNG. Such a huge population here rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, so it’s a great spot for me to come and learn,” Male said.
“I also knew friends who came to PNG, especially Morobe, and established links with Unitech and some of the companies here, so I came in through that.
“It is my third month based in Morobe and I will be completing my honours research with the department of agriculture at Unitech.”
Hannah Brimstone, 25, a student at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, is in her third week in PNG and is studying PNG studies and international relations at the Divine Word University in Madang.
Her focus is to educate Australia more about PNG: “I really didn’t realise how close we were in our relationships, and I am surprised how PNG knows much about Australia, and how little Australia knows about PNG.
“PNG is Australia’s closest neighbour, and I am really excited to know more about this country.”