Monday 12 August 2024
Hope Institute in Tari-Pori District, Hela, has graduated four young men who were once dropped out of high school, and have now placed under the Pacific-Australia Mobility Scheme to work in Australia.
Hope Institute is a high school institution which offers free education to young people who were pushed out from the formal education system.
The four men—Albert Angai (35), Kingston Arigo (31), Ison Tomai (25), and Aluako Tako (24)—will work for Northen Cooperative Meat Company Limited, Australia’s biggest meat processing company.
They signed a four-year contract and will be working in Casino, a small town in New South Wales, after leaving Port Moresby on Monday, 11 August 2024.
Prime Minister James Marape, who started and supported Hope Institute, met with the men before they left.
“Hope Institute gives a second chance to young people who dropped out of school. I am very happy to see that this has worked for you. Now, you are going to Australia where you will earn good money to help your families.”
Mr Angai, speaking for the group, said, “This is a big blessing. We thank Prime Minister Marape, his wife, Mrs. Rachael Marape, and everyone at Hope Institute for giving us this chance.
“We also thank the Tari-Pori District Development Authority for helping us join this program.”
These men had dropped out of school between 2009 and 2016 due to various problems, and enrolled in 2020, at Hope Institute, where they graduated in 2022 with their Grade 12 certificates.