Three SINU Trainees Finish Internship on Seghe Market Build

Three women studying at Solomon Islands National University have completed a six-week internship with local contractor Hatanga on the new Seghe Market, the Australian High Commission said.

Egah Kapaqole, Priscillar Fakai'a and Delmah Motui are part of an Australian women-focused construction and solar PV training programme set up to increase the number of qualified women working in the construction sector.

The three have taken Certificate III and IV construction training at SINU TAFE, along with training in solar photovoltaic systems installation. At Seghe they have been helping with the tiling of the new amenity block.

Working with the Hatanga team, they are building practical skills in site measurements and calculations, tiling and the use of construction tools.

Fakai'a said the practical work had helped her make sense of her classroom learning, and that she enjoyed the hands-on work.

"When I started working on site, things made a lot more sense because I could see and do what we had learned in class," Fakai'a said. She said the experience had made her more interested in a career in construction.

Australian High Commissioner Jeff Roach said Australia supported internships and on-the-job training so that construction sites were also places of learning.

"Work experience is the best way for Solomon Islanders to bridge the gap between education and employment," Roach said. He said Australia's infrastructure investments delivered new infrastructure and also created skilled employment for Solomon Islanders.

Roach said that at the Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre, and across market redevelopments in Malu'u, Buala and Seghe, young men and women had built their skills and confidence before moving into permanent jobs or setting up their own businesses.

The Seghe Market, which the high commission said was built entirely by local workers, is more than 75 per cent complete. It will provide market facilities for 120 vendors and 28,000 litres of bore water storage for surrounding communities.

The project is part of Australia's Provincial Markets Redevelopment Program, which the high commission said was creating local jobs and supporting inclusive economic growth across Solomon Islands.