Pomtech plans diploma courses

PORT Moresby Technical College (Pomtech) will offer diploma courses after more than 70 years of offering national certificate programmes, says Governing Council chairman Mesulam Tokaplen.
Pomtech has been graduating students with certificate qualifications only.
Pomtech officially opened its diploma programme with the National Planning and Monitoring Minister Richard Maru presenting K3 million during the opening of the programme and the ground-breaking ceremony.
This will now see the college offering diploma courses and increasing the enrolments of students, starting next year.
The college will continue to offer the national certificate programmes.
Electrical and printing departments will start teaching the diploma programmes next year.
The electrical diploma courses will be in the area of power, electronics and instrumentation.
The diploma in printing will be in print media and production.
Pomtech, through its Strategic Management Plan (SMP) will also upgrade the infrastructure to develop the college into a polytechnical institutie.
“Despite the approval for Pomtech, we will still go ahead in implementing our SMP until we get the approval to be a polytechnic institute, and by then we will already be in operation and will continue well,” Tokaplen said.
“In the last couple of years, Pomtech has been very fortunate and privileged to have had a principal who is proactive, visionary, intelligent and very hard working with the help of his two deputies, and the hardworking staff and that’s why we see some changes that are now happening.”
Maru has pledged an additional K3 million to assist the college prepare to become a national polytechnic. Maru said the country needed more trades workers.