PNG must export workers: Ex-army commander

By DYLAN MURRAY
STUDENTS should aim to become “global employees”, says former Papua New Guinea Defence Force commander Major-General Jerry Singirok.
Singirok said the availability of jobs in the country did not match the number of students graduating from tertiary institutions and that it posed a problem that needed serious attention. “Divine Word University recently graduated hundreds of students, but where are the jobs?” he asked.
He said students needed to aim for jobs outside the country as there were not enough opportunities available for them in PNG.
He highlighted that the world today was demanding of young people and that prices were high.
“There should be student forums to talk about job politics or the social conditions because the challenges that they face today are not the same as what was faced years ago,” he said.
Singirok said this was where educators came in.
He said it was the responsibility of the institutions to prepare the students for jobs whether they be in the country or outside of the country, crediting one of his teachers in his secondary years for giving him the idea of studying law before he joined the army.
Singirok, who recently visited the University of Papua New Guinea to speak to first year students during their orientation, said inspiring the next generation to make the right decisions was a good investment.
“My services are available — it’s free — to come and talk to students,” he said.