When Loreen Wao first walked onto the Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre worksite as a student apprentice, she was there to learn. She never expected it to become the launchpad for a career.
“I never imagined I would be working as an electrician on major projects across Solomon Islands,” she said.
Ms Wao and fellow Solomon Islands National University electrical student Makare Baiabe were among the local workers who gained hands-on experience on the Naha site, working shoulder to shoulder with CE Group electricians employed on the project.
That experience changed the trajectory of both their careers. After completing their placements, the two apprentices secured full-time jobs with CE Group. Today they support electrical works at Naha and on projects across the country.
For Ms Wao, the value went beyond technical skills.
“The experience gave me practical skills, confidence, and a better understanding of workplace safety,” she said. “Being employed by CE Group has opened new opportunities for me to grow professionally.”
Their story is one of hundreds emerging from the Naha project. Australia’s investment in the facility was never only about bricks and mortar, it was also about building the people who would construct it.
“We congratulate Loreen and Makare, who represent the many skilled Solomon Islanders building brighter futures after helping to construct the Naha Birthing and Urban Health Centre,” said Australian High Commissioner Jeff Roach.
“While the Naha facility is now operating as Solomon Islands’ first Level 2 Birthing and Urban Health Centre, another important legacy is the workforce development achieved through the project, with hundreds of local workers gaining employment, new skills and accredited training during construction.”
The apprentices came to the project through a partnership Australia supported between SINU TAFE and the site’s contractors, a scheme designed to give students real-world experience while strengthening the local skills base at the same time.
That pipeline is already producing results. Both women now work on infrastructure projects around Solomon Islands, proof that a training opportunity on one worksite can ripple outward across a nation.
High Commissioner Roach wished them well.
“These young electricians have made the most from Australia’s commitment to supporting local workers, progressing from apprentices to full-time employment, and we wish them well as they go on to deliver projects around Solomon Islands.”
