UPNG and Geo-hazards group sign deal

An ageing workforce has made a government department look down at the university level to train and up skill new disaster management staff.

These staff are to work in areas of engineering geology, environmental geosciences, volcanology and seismology.

This saw a memorandum of understanding signed today between the University of Papua New Guinea and the Department of Mineral Policy and Geo-hazards Management through the Centre  for Disaster Reduction at UPNG.

This MOU will see a collaborative partnership to educate, train, develop and produce skilled personnel who will be able to understand the geo-hazards of PNG and the Pacific Islands.

The new course will be available for post graduate students who have undergone pre-requisite courses in the Environmental Science and Geographic division from the School of Natural and Physical Sciences.

It will also be available to non-degree holders who have worked for the last five years in the field of Geo-hazards management.

Director for the Centre  of Disaster Reduction at UPNG Professor Russell  Perembo said the course will be available from 2016.

An estimated 20 post graduate students will undergo the new course.

UPNG Vice Chancellor Professor Albert Mellam in signing the agreement with the Secretary of the   Department of Mineral Policy and Geo-hazards Management Shadrach Himata said the signing today was  another milestone for the university.

He says  PNG is one of the top 10 countries worldwide that has lost lives in disaster related events  thus it is important to know how to recognize early signs and issue warnings.

Professor Mellam said such an agreement  is tangible development that is extremely critical to engage such a platform so students can pick up applied knowledge after their degree programs at the university. 

Mr Himata said the department has an ageing workforce and with this agreement with the university, young people can be directly recruited from this new post graduate course that the university will offer.

Author: 
Sally Pokiton