BY JOY OFASIA
SALOME Mafai, one of 17 Solomon Islander women who recently obtained the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) accredited Aged Care Preparation Skill Set qualification.
She expressed her gratitude in an exclusive interview with Solomon Women as she prepares to continue her with her new career in Aged Care support.
After almost 23 years as a teacher at Chung Wah School, Salome chose to leave her position to work as a seasonal worker in Australia in 2022 through the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility (PALM) program. She worked for seven months overseas before coming back to work in aged care as part of the Pacific Australia Labor Mobility (PALM) program.
“I accepted the switch because I wanted to explore another career and to engage with elderly people,” Salome said.
The retired teacher is aware of the benefits Australia has brought to the Solomon Islands, particularly in terms of training and skill development opportunities that will assist workers advance their careers.
“The training that we have gone through has covered many of the things that we should be doing as an aging care worker. It was very helpful training, and I have gained much on how to deal with and interact with the old people,” Salome said.
Salome claimed that she is now equipped and ready for her new employment as an aged care worker after obtaining this certificate.
“I am ready and prepared to carry out the skills learned from this training to work as an age care worker. This opportunity is a great blessing for me out of the many who are longing for this career,” she said.
Salome’s team was the second group in a cooperative training cooperation between Australia and the Solomon Islands to finish the qualification.
