Sir Michael asked to help redesign training plan

Labour Department has approached Sir Michael Somare to help redesign a community-based training scheme to train school leavers unable to secure formal employment, Independence Fellowship Scheme director Micah Vele says.
“We are approaching Sir Michael to seek his views to redesign the Independence Fellowship Scheme,” he said.
“This is to make it more effective and efficient to train the large number of school leavers leaving formal education, and cannot get an employment or make it through formal education system.
“We are approaching Sir Michael as it was his idea to have the scheme in 1972.
“We are also thinking of approaching Prime Minister Peter O’Neil to change the name of the scheme to Somare Foundation Scheme.” Sir Michael said that he had predicted 46 years ago that the country would have a huge problem with unemployed school leavers and created the independent fellowship scheme.
“Parliament passed the IFS Act in 1978,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it was not fully managed by successive governments.
“I don’t know why it was not managed as it depends on each leader.
“It was my idea at that time but we have had several leaders who had come after me.
“It was entirely up to them to pursue that idea.
“It took that long because I think it was not funded properly.”
The idea of rejuvenating the scheme comes at a time when schools are producing more dropouts than those passing through.