PNGTPA'S TERTIARY STUDENT PRACTICAL PROGRAM

PNGTPA runs practical program for university students around PNG.

By Jonah Kei

The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority’s (PNGTPA) recently held a student practical prgram. A total of three students, two final year students, from the Tourism and Hospitality Management Discipline of the School of Business and Public Policy in the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and one final year Accounting and Management student from the Pacific Adventist University (PAU).

The students were given the opportunity to rotate within each of PNGTPA's divisions, such as Corporate Affairs, Marketing Research, Statistics, Policy and Planning, Product Coordination and Product Development. This was to allow the students to learn the various roles, responsibilities, and function of each division, and allow them to apply the skills learned in their respective tertiary institutes. Students were provided guidance from experienced PNGTPA staff members as they rotated through the various divisions engaging in different tasks. Students were periodically placed in different roles such as marketing awareness, product identification and development, policy planning and development, and power-point presentations, marketing and promotion, data collection and data entry.

PNGTPA has created a training place where the environment is conducive for learning, which allows the students to work and learn at the same time.

As part of PNGTPA’s obligation to build a productive Tourism Industry, they have planned to up-skill, develop and pass on knowledge to the students and graduates. This is to help build and improve the human resource capacity of the tourism industry.

The program has provided the space for the students practically apply any and all theories or policies, learnt in lectures, under the supervision of experienced PNGTPA staff.

The benefits of this student practical program, transcends the office spaces of the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority. By engaging students in practical programs, it allows for the quality of our human resource to improve. Whether a student studying in the tourism and hospitality field, or another field all-together, this program equips those who pass through with the knowledge and practical skills to help them in their professional careers, and that helps improve the quality of our nation's workforce. For such reason, the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority continues to provide more practical trainings for the students and graduates.

From 2018 to 2022, a total of twentyfour (24) students from various tertiary institutions have undergone the student practicum with PNGTPA. Institutes such as the University of Goroka, University of Papua New Guinea, Pacific Adventist University, Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment, National Polytech and Ningbo University in China.