TAFE
The career of James Wakapu is an example of the opportunities that access to education can bring. Wakapu, who is now director of tourism for the Papua New Guinea government, has reached career heights that would have seemed impossible when he was growing up in one of the nation’ s most disadvantaged areas. including the Holiday Inn Macao( 1200 rooms), the Conrad Macao( 600 rooms), 14 restaurants, and a casino. Activity included building the leadership capability of more than 400 managers and supervisors, coordinating skills training for 6500 staff, and managing a 10-day pre-opening simulation. The opening of Sands Cotai Central Phase 1 in April 2012 was recorded as the most successful of all the owners’ properties to date. Box Hill was then contracted to manage the preopening simulation for Sands Cotai Central Phase 2, including the world’ s largest Sheraton Hotel( 4000 rooms). The 10-day simulation was critical to ensuring a smooth transition from a pre-opening environment to a fully integrated hotel resort.
Globalisation enriches organisation in many ways. Collaboration with onshore and offshore partners via these international projects brings not only financial benefits to an organisation, but diversifies our knowledge and ways of working.
Most importantly though, there are benefits to the nations in which we operate that are not just financial. I strongly believe the VET sector, as a force for global collaborative education, has a responsibility to give back to the social and economic future of the countries where it operates. Our large scale international industry projects are not about doing consultancy and increasing revenue for its own sake but also about working on projects that support building the economic capacity of these countries.
It also demonstrates the nation-building aspect of VET international operations, where training provides direct economic and social benefits to a nation as a whole and to individuals through increased workforce participation.
The career of James Wakapu is an example of the opportunities that access to education can bring to an individual. Wakapu, who is now director for tourism for the Papua New Guinea government, has reached career heights that would have seemed impossible when he was growing up in a village in one of the nation’ s most disadvantaged areas. Wakapu’ s career trajectory began after he was accepted to study tourism and hospitality at Box Hill’ s APTC Samoa campus. After finishing his Certificate III in hospitality, he won an AusAID scholarship to continue tourism management studies in Melbourne. Now, he is at the heart of influencing his country’ s economic future through tourism. Through vocational education and training, I believe that the APTC team is building coherent social and economic capacity that delivers benefits to the entire region.
Wakapu’ s is just one of the personal stories that illustrate what our international projects are about. It is individual tales such as his that confirm for me that focusing on the global picture and not just the local market is a worthwhile concern for any business enterprise, but particularly the training and vocational education sector. Through pursuing a global focus not only do we build our own business, but we contribute to making the world a better place for us all.
Partnering with those who have traditionally been our competitors in the domestic market, with each partner bringing their own specialities to the bidding process, is the best way to succeed in winning international projects. n
John Maddock is the CEO of Box Hill Institute and the Centre for Adult Education, Victoria. campusreview. com. au | 31