W. Australia to help set up RI maritime center

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's first maritime training center, designed to train fishermen and upgrade their operations, will soon be built in Ambon, capital of Maluku, with the assistance of Western Australia government.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief told reporters yesterday that the project will get underway later this year

He announced that a team from Western Australia was conducting a feasibility study, after receiving Western Australia Deputy Minister for Education, Employment and Training Ian Hill.

Western Australia has pledged A$24 million in grants through the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) for the project, Latief said.

Latief explained that the training center is aimed at upgrading the fishery industry in eastern Indonesia where it is still run, in large part, using traditional methods. A second training center is being envisaged in Medan, he added.

The project was one of the results from Latief's tour to Australia late last year to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of manpower.

Graeme Davy, the managing director of the Western Australian College of Customized Training, accompanied Hill to the meeting. He said his government would help the government train Indonesian instructors to teach at the training center.

"We have a lot of experience in the fishery industry and we have many vocational colleges and training centers to support this industry," he said, citing TAFES, the acronym for training and further education. (rms)