Twenty-two students graduated this week from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition Samoa’s Construction Course, and 18 of those graduates are females.
The oldest female graduate Saline Memea Kasio told Tala Fou that graduating from Construction is proof to all that women can do what men are doing. Saline hopes that her graduating from such a course will inspire young females to join this field of study and work.
Saline added that the construction course will allow her equal employment opportunities with men and more importantly that it will motivate her 7 children to look at career pathways that extend beyond the academic focus.
65 year old Tapanai’a Taupega Saumolia from Lalomanu is one of the four men that graduated from the same Construction Course.
Tapana’ia Taupega shared with Tala Fou that he took up the Construction Course to expand his knowledge as a constructor.
Furthermore, he wanted to use the opportunity to prove that age should not hinder someone’s dreams to achieve great things – so that it would be an encouragement to troubled youth that it’s never too late to make a positive change and aim for something greater than the things they are narrowly focused on that’s getting them into trouble.
Tapanai’a, Saline and the rest of the construction course graduates acknowledged the support by the APTC during their studies.
Most if not all the graduates are starting to look at ways of putting their training to good use, especially in the area of construction as there is a high demand for building of houses, infrastructures and roads to name a few in the country.
Photo Tala Fou Caption: Participants with their certificates