IMAGE – Farmer with Mauang Exports GM and Bougainville Copper VLO Jeffrey Clason
The importance of skills development was recently highlighted in a Post Courier story about the early success of Bougainville farmer Martin Tsiora in replanting his old cocoa plantation with vanilla beans.
Martin was one of the farmers who participated in vanilla training last year which was supported by Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) in partnership with Mauang Exports, in which he now sells his harvest to.
He decided to try his hand at vanilla farming after cocoa pod borers wiped out his previous cocoa crops. The BCL funded training program taught farmers the tricks to growing and curing, high quality, organic vanilla beans. Martin is now producing 2-3 kgs of vanilla beans per day and has involved his family in the enterprise which provides a new source of income which they have utilised to pay for school fees and basic family needs.
This example illustrates how acquiring new skills and knowledge empowers people to take advantage of new and emerging opportunities and also how useful vocational skills can be acquired in a relatively short time.
As the region looks to develop its economy in the years ahead, several areas were identified in the Bougainville Strategic Development Plan 2018-2022 that offer promise in terms of future employment for those with the skills needed.
In addition to agriculture and cash crops, aquaculture or sea farming, tourism and hospitality, shipping, land management, minerals and energy and services were cited for their potential. There was also emphasis on the need for business development particularly small to medium sized enterprises to help create the ecosystem needed to generate growth.
Furthermore, the development of human capital was listed as the number one pillar of PNG’s broader Vision 2050 report. Experience has demonstrated how skills shortages can deny local people job opportunities in lucrative areas of development.
During a recent workshop held by PNG’s national skills development agency DHERST, the nation’s first LNG (gas) boom was cited as a case study where the local work force wasn’t equipped to perform all the necessary tasks associated with major projects. Labour had to be imported from countries such as Australia and Philippines to fill not only highly skilled roles but also lesser skilled roles such as truck driving.
In Bougainville specifically, the urgent need to upgrade the island’s road network has been undermined by a shortage of skills and capacity among local contractors. This is another area where skilled truck drivers as well as machine operators for graders, rollers, excavators and the like are vital. More broadly, mechanics are also needed to maintain and repair machinery across various industries.
As an extension of this, skilled workers are needed as well in construction while metal fabricators and welders are also in demand.
Regarding tourism, the strategic development plan highlighted eco-tourism, trekking, fishing and tours of sites of historical and cultural significance as areas of potential that will require skilled workers.
Providing access to the types of vocational training necessary to cover a wide range of skillsets is a challenging and costly commitment. Bougainville with its population of around 250,000, currently has five vocational schools and in 2015 there were 1,616 students undergoing vocational training.
The ABG has plans for a new polytechnic school in Buka and even raises the prospect of a feasibility to study to assess if Bougainville could sustain its very own university.
The ability to pursue further education and vocational training is underpinned by literacy and numeracy, hence why improving these standards is such an important local priority. This provides career opportunities for skilled and dedicated teachers who are also in demand for those young people considering career pathways.
Computer and financial literacy are other areas identified as important skills that are required in various job settings while the need for healthcare workers in PNG, including doctors and nurses is ongoing.
In terms of mining, Bougainville currently has more than 50 small-scale mining operations and the future will see larger scale projects requiring a wide range of skills.
By way of example, when the Panguna mine was in operation in 1988, BCL had a total of 3,560 people on its payroll, 83 per cent of which were PNG nationals.
This was made possible through a deliberate strategy by the company to train local people for operational, technical and administrative roles during the earlier exploration phase. As a result, by the time the mine commenced production, all haul trucks and most mining equipment were operated by Papua New Guineans.
To support this, BCL ran a mine training college that was recognised as the best equipped training facility in PNG at the time, with international employees calling it ‘world class’. In total, BCL trained 12,000 employees, with around 1,000 completing apprenticeships and 400 completing tertiary studies.