Institute providing second chance

AN institute in Lae is offering students who drop out of grades 10 and 12 a chance to pursue trade courses to secure jobs.
Mapex Training Institute principal Andick Botu said the plant and motor vehicle course was the most popular.
“If you look at the population we have at the moment, everyone (wants) to excel in life but the constraint is not being able to further their education,” he said.
He said beyond grades 10 and 12, the Government had no programme to accommodate students who had dropped out.
“Our programmes cater for different groups of people in PNG,” he said.
“We design motor vehicle programmes to gain skills in driving an excavator or operating in a mobile trade.
“Once licensed, as long as he knows how to operate a machine safely, he can find a job and live a decent life.”
Botu said the programmes had been approved by relevant authorities consistent with industry standards.
He said given the institute’s good relationship with companies, many of their students were employed even before they received their certificates and diplomas.
The institute also awarded diplomas and certificates to more than 300 students in various business courses this year.