Engineer Francis sets up business to employ jobless relatives

By ROSELYN ELLISON
PROFESSIONAL engineer Francis Moro, 34, left a highly-paid job in one of the country’s biggest mines to set up his business called Daveline Engineering.
“I felt tired of travelling so I decided to come back home (Kokopo, East New Britain) and work here.”
He also missed the social life he loves so much.
“The mining environment is (restricted).
I am a person who wants to socialise with people.
I find it difficult to do that at the mine because there a lot of restrictions.”
His parents are from Morobe and East New Britain.
He chose Daveline as his company name after his four-year-old son David and his wife Linda.
He acquired a Bachelor in Civil Engineering degree at the University of Technology in 2012. In 2013, he was recruited by the Ok Tedi Mining Limited, as one of the top 50 students in the country, for its graduate development scheme programme.
In 2015, his contract under the programme ended.
OK Tedi offered him a job but because of the long travel from Tabubil to Kokopo during breaks, he decided to leave the company.
“The other reason I left OK Tedi is to come and work at home so I can be close to my family.”
Francis joined the East New Britain provincial administration in 2015 as an engineer for the Kokopo City Authority under the Kokopo-Vunamami urban local level government.
His job was on road designing in Kokopo city.
“While working with the Kokopo City Authority, I also contributed a lot to the provincial administration, (using) my qualification to assist them when they needed me.”
He left the Kokopo City Authority in 2019 and worked for the Gazelle Restoration Authority for a year.
In 2020, he registered Daveline Engineering with the Investment Promotion Authority.
He wanted to help his younger siblings and close relatives who were unemployed after leaving school in grades 10 and 12.
Francis grew up at the Kokopo police barracks when his father was a policeman. His father also retired in 2020.
Francis helped his father to build a family home at his mother’s Raluan village in the Balanataman local level government, Rabaul.
In March 2021, he was awarded a contract by the city to carry out the refurbishment of three bus stop shelters.
“I engaged six men to work with me on my first project.
My second project was to do the design and construction of the drainage project for the Don Bosco Agro Technical Secondary School.”
He employed 17 men to help him.
Daveline Engineering was also given commercial development projects in Kokopo town, especially civil engineering designs.
Recently, the Works Department offered him a contract to upgrade the drains in Takubar.
“This is my third project. I am engaging more men to work with me.”
He employs those who have qualifications but don’t have experience, those do not have qualification but have experience, and those who have neither.
“I encourage my employees to have self-discipline, respect and commitment. I provide in-house training for my employees.”
Francis thanks his employees for helping him deliver the contracts.
He also thanks wife Linda, son David and family members for their support.
“I want to give opportunities to the unfortunate ones especially those having a hard time looking for job so they can have money in their pockets, and can afford to put food on the table for their families, and other expenses like school fees.”