Don Bosco Technical Institute and the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) opened a new, state of the art hospitality training facility yesterday in Henderson.

The new facility will be used by all students in the Certificate II Hospitality course being delivered through a collaborative partnership between Don Bosco Technical Institute and the APTC.

The facility includes model hotel rooms, kitchen facilities and a training café, including speciality imported industry-grade coffee machines that students will use to hone their room-keeping, catering and coffee-making skills.

Australian High Commission Human Development Counsellor in Honiara, Melissa Stutsel congratulated Don Bosco Technical Institute on taking its skills training to the next level.

"For many years now we have heard requests from the tourism and hospitality sector in Solomon Islands that they need workers that are ready to service the growing demand in their sector.

"That’s why it made sense for Australia to support Don Bosco Technical Institute to develop this excellent new hospitality course."

Ms Stutsel encouraged employers to come and see this excellent facility first hand, stating, "employers can be confident that students from this course, with these new facilities, will be very well qualified to provide excellent service to the hospitality sector when they graduate later this year."

Participants at the opening had the opportunity to sample some of the great coffee and delicious catering the young men and women from Don Bosco have learned to make, and all agreed that the students are going to have a great impact on the sector when they enter the workforce.

"We hope the students from this course can take the skills they learn here at Don Bosco Technical Institute and become leaders in high quality hospitality service across Solomon Islands," said Father Srimal, Principle of Don Bosco Technical Institute Henderson.

The development of the hospitality course at Don Bosco Technical Institute is part of a broad package of support by the Australian Government to provide more opportunities, for young women and men, to follow a pathway to productive employment.

The APTC was established by the Australian Government in 2007, to help Pacific Islands men and women to gain vocational skills and qualifications. It has campuses in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Find out more about study options at http://www.aptc.edu.au/

Press Release: Australian High Commission, Honiara