Three young women have been selected as the first aged care workers from Sepik to secure employment in Sydney, Australia. The care workers flew to Australia on January 20th.
These women will begin four-year contracts in a highly competitive field, marking a significant achievement for themselves and their community.
“This is a very proud day for me personally,” said Allan Bird Governor for East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea.
“I had the honor of farewelling our first three young Sepik women to work in aged care in Sydney. They have undergone stringent testing by the Labor Mobility Unit (LMU) at Treasury and successfully passed employer interviews to secure this opportunity.”
Among the three women, two hold nursing qualifications: one graduated from the nursing school at Boram, and the other from the Kaindi campus of Divine Word University. The third woman is a qualified primary school teacher. Bird highlighted the growing emphasis on gearing Sepik nursing programs toward aged care, a sector in high demand in developed countries, particularly in Australia.
“I have been pushing for our nursing programs in Sepik to be tailored to aged care.
“I look forward to seeing many more of our young women take up these highly competitive opportunities overseas.”
The achievement underscores the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders. Bird expressed gratitude to the LMU, the Sepik Labor Mobility team, the employers, and the Australian government for facilitating this opportunity.
This sets a precedent for others in the Sepik region to pursue international employment in high-demand fields such as aged care.
