A two-day Review of the PNG Community Development Worker (CDW) National Standard was successfully convened in Port Moresby on 23 – 24 January 2023, reaffirming the National Apprenticeship Trade and Testing Board’s (NATTB) commitment to standards for Community Development Workers in the country. The PNG CDW National Standard is PNG’s only home-grown National Standard.
The meeting, funded by the Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) through Southern Cross University, was intended to relook at the elements of the standards and to ensure it remains relevant for the industry on how best the country can address its development needs and opportunities.
The meeting was attended by 10 members of the Government endorsed PNG CDW Industry Technical Committee, which provides advice to NATTB to help design and manage the National Standard. The committee includes experts from OK Tedi Development Foundation, Coffee Industry Corporation, Fresh Produce Development Agency, the Department of Agriculture & Livestock, the Department of Provincial & Local Government Affairs, ACIAR, The Nature Conservancy, DT Global, Tetra Tech, and The Fred Hollows Foundation.
Standing left to right: Bennie Atigini, Chris Gard, Leo Aroga, Sewage Moa, Charles Iha, Brian Clowes. Sitting left to right: Joe Koima, Merilyn Gairo, Bala Karepa. Insert: Priscilla Pius
Previous members of the PNG CDW Industry Technical Committee have included representatives from CARE International, Oil Search Limited, Community Development Initiative, Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Barefoot Community Service, Divine Word University, Widebay Conservation Association, FORCERT, Global Green Growth Institute, University of Technology, Family Voice, Callan Services, Lutheran Development Services, and The Leprosy Mission PNG.
The areas of discussion in the meeting were: 1) overview of the resources available for public to download from the pngcdwstandard.com website, 2) review of the performance criteria for each of the elements, 3) introduction of a new element on – “facilitate a specialist’s visit” and 4) possible opportunities to expand and engage with other key industry stakeholders on community development in Papua New Guinea.
The NATTB representative in the Industry Technical Committee – Mr. Brian Clowes highlighted that the NATTB awaits the endorsed updated performance criteria and the finalized content of the new element. He acknowledged the participation of all members and look forward to everyone’s continued support.
