TWENTY-EIGHT young Papua New Guineans are building practical skills to turn ideas into projects that deliver results for their organisations and communities after completing a four-week Australia Awards Project Management Intensive.
Delivered by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the intensive short course focused on practical project management approaches that participants can apply to real challenges in Papua New Guinea.
Participants from across the country brought diverse perspectives and experience in engineering, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, science, law, business and communications.
Bernard Roy, Casual Public Health Officer at Ramu Agri Industries Ltd, said the course strengthened his skills and knowledge, but the lesson that most resonated was the importance of inclusivity.
“What I found interesting in this training is the focus on inclusivity in project planning, which I never really considered before coming to study. I learned that it is important to plan a
project that includes all people irrespective of their gender, ability or race,” he said.
The Australia Awards Youth Short Courses delivered across 2026 and 2027 are strengthening practical capability in ethical leadership, governance, entrepreneurship, digital skills, project management, and monitoring and evaluation.
With young people making up a large share of PNG’s population, Australia and Papua New Guinea are working together to expand pathways to skills, employment and leadership opportunities that support PNG’s future prosperity.
Participants will join more than 7,000 Australia Awards alumni across Papua New Guinea, connecting them to a wider professional network and deepening the people-to-people links between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The Youth Short Courses build on Australia Awards’ longstanding support for education and professional development in Papua New Guinea. By investing in people, skills and professional networks, Australia and PNG are helping equip the next generation to contribute to stronger comm