Institute, firm partner to deliver SME programmes

The National Business

THE International Training Institute (ITI) has partnered with Strategic Communications Ltd to deliver small-to-medium enterprise (SME) programmes.
ITI executive manager Sivanathan Sivaruban said ITI had been playing a major role in higher and technical education in Papua New Guinea for the last 22 years and had trained and graduated almost 21,000 students.
“As part of our social corporate responsibility, ITI has established a memorandum of understanding with Strategic Communications Ltd to support SME Awards and Sumatin (student) Enterprise programme,” Sivaruban said.
Strategic Communications Ltd managing partner Andrew Runawery said the company publishes the SME Magazine which was committed to promoting and developing the SME sector in the country.
Sivaruban said ITI would provide five one-year scholarships for through the SME Magazine including the:

  • SUMATIN Enterprise Programme – two scholarship
  • SME Awards – one male and one female; and,
  • PNG Magazine staff team – one scholarship.

“The selected awardee has to meet the entry requirements of the ITI and awardee will study for a certificate programme either accounting, human resource management, computing or business and sales,” he said.
Runawery said it was good that the Government was committed to developing a strong SME sector in the country.
He said SMEs were important for any economy as they allowed the people to generate wealth, pay taxes and provide employment and add value to communities, cities and provinces.
“In the last two years, we were engaged with school students in Grade 12, through an essay writing competition,” he said.
“The capacity building aspects is very important.
“The provision of these certificate programmes, valued at K18,000, is aimed at addressing lack of capacity development and training for SME’s and aspiring young entrepreneurs in PNG.”