Honorable Minister for Ministry of Employment and Human Resource – Taabeta Amuera Teakai in her opening address.

“I know that many of you have travelled long distances to be here and I welcome you to our shores and KIT. This positive turnout of invited guests and the public engagement is a sign of the respect that the Ministry of Employment and Human Resource and Kiribati Institute of Technology has within our community and beyond our shores.”

– The Honourable Taabeta Teakai, Government of Kiribati Minister of Employment and Human Resource in her opening address at the Skills for Employment Partnerships event

On Wednesday 5^th October, KIT hosted an inaugural ‘Skills for Employment Partnerships’ event, supported by the Australian Government funded Kiribati-Australia Skills for Employment Partnership (formerly known as the Kiribati Facility).

The Skills for Employment Partnerships event celebrated the people-to-people linkages that contribute to creating employment pathways and opportunities for I-Kiribati, both locally and overseas, through the delivery of quality skills training at KIT.

From left to right – Jason Flello (KIT Director and Team Leader for the Kiribati-Australia Skills for Employment Partnership), Honorable Taabeta Amuera Teakai (Hon Minister to Ministry of Employment and Human Resource), Amuera Tebau (HM MEHR’s spouse)  Farheen Khurrum (Head of International Development, Kiribati-Australia Skills for Employment Partnership), Marni Gilbert (Deputy High Commissioner to New Zealand) and Casey Moon (Former Second Secretary to Australian High Commission).

Attendees were made up of stakeholders and partners from around the world who share a commitment to building and supporting the skills sector in Kiribati and employment opportunities for I-Kiribati, both locally and overseas.

“KIT has a proud tradition of partnering with local businesses and industry, other ministries of the GoK, local civil society, donor partners Australia and New Zealand, regional government and non-government partners, international organizations, and training partners both here in Kiribati, the region and Australia.” Said Jason Flello, KIT Director / Team Leader Kiribati-Australia Skills for Employment Partnership, in his opening address.

At the commencement of the event, all guests were involved in the Kiribati welcome song “Ongo te bwana/Hear the sound” and were later entertained by the KIT Women’s Association dancers.

Invited guest speakers included representatives from The Government of Kiribati’ Ministry of Infrastructure & Sustainable Energy, The Australian High Commission to Kiribati, Global Green Growth Institute, Palladium, Kiribati Housing Corporation, Australia Pacific Training Coalition and The New Zealand High Commission to Kiribati.

From right to left – Iaotite Monite (Head of School for School of Applied Technology, Tetarae Inatio (Team Leader for Plumbing Department) and Tareere Kaitara (Head of School for School of Business).

The event also provided an opportunity to highlight KIT’s quality education delivery and its central role in the broader network of professional skills development in Kiribati, including its pre-departure training for labour mobilisation overseas through its Employment Support Services unit.

At the heart of the event was the Skills for Employment Pathways video launch that featured the personal stories of KIT graduates continuing their study or who had gained employment across Kiribati, Fiji, and Australia.

The significant and positive impact on the lives of I-Kiribati revealed in the video is, in no small part, an outcome of all the partnerships and collaborations that take place through KIT, and, as Jason Flello remarked after the video;

“It’s why we come to work everyday.”

List of invited partners

APTC Australia Pacific Training Coalition

KCCI Kiribati Chamber of Commerce and Industry

KFHA Kiribati Family Health Association

KWCSC Kiribati Women and Children Support Centre

KHC Kiribati Housing Corporation

Betty Trading

Chisholm Institute

KEIP Kiribati Education Improvement Program

KF Kiribati Facility / Palladium

Kiribati School and Centre for Children with Disabilities

Ministry of Health and Medical Services

MoE Ministry of Education

MWYSSA Ministry of Women Youth Sport and Social Affairs

MISE Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Energy

MELAD Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development

PUB Public Utilities Board

UN United Nations programs (UNICEF, UNFPA)

PLF Pacific Labour Facility and Australian Employers – Health X and RWM,

STA(s) Short Term Adviser(s)

Te Toa Matoa (TTM)

GGGI Global Green Growth Institute

MCC Millennium Challenge Corporation

Kiribati Teachers College

Marine Training Centre

Friends from Palladium and the Kiribati Facility

KIT Alumni Association

KIT Student Association

KIT Deputy Directors, Heads of Schools and Departments and Team Leaders.

The tanzanite dancers from KITWA joined by both teaching and supporting staff from each departments. Well done KITWA!

Casey Moon (former second secretary to Australian High Commission) with Aubrey Todd (Research Associate at the Nathan Associates, Inc) at the back.

[From left] Carollyne Palling from Health X and Touatineim Iotita from the Kiribati Institute of Technology.