The East New Britain Provincial Administration has formalized a partnership with St Joseph Training Centre in Balanataman LLG, Rabaul, through a Service Level Agreement (SLA) aimed at enhancing life skills training for women, men, and youth in local communities. This agreement strengthens efforts to equip individuals with practical skills, fostering self-reliance and community development. The signing took place yesterday at the St Joseph Training Centre at Iawakaka ward, coinciding with the Center’s 20th graduation ceremony for its cooking and sewing class. Present during the signing was ENB Provincial Administrator Levi Mano, Community Development acting Advisor Peter Tutmulai, members of the Rabaul District Management Team, Vicar General of the Rabaul Archdiocese Fr. Paul Kote and the Sisters from the Training Centre. Under the SLA, the Provincial Administration has committed K160, 000.00 to support the facilitation of training courses which includes cooking, baking, sewing and basic backyard and gardening skills. This funding will enable the center to conduct four training batches, each accommodating 40 participants. When speaking to the graduates, ENB Provincial Administrator Levi Mano emphasized on the graduation theme, “Empowered to make a difference in the society,” highlighting the significance of life skills acquired through these courses. He added that these skills would aid individuals and their families in generating income. “Today marks the beginning of your new journey. Cooking and sewing is a ministry and we must do it with love. Go forth, utilize your skills and earn from them,” Mano said. He also added that this year’s provincial budget has allocated specific funding for Family and Community Empowerment Program as a standalone initiative, which was previously included under Community Development. Meantime, the Director of St Joseph Training Centre Sr Erlinda Tuzon thanked the ENB Provincial Administration for their support and assured that they would implement the training programs in accordance with the Agreement. She also acknowledged the ongoing support from the Rabaul District Administration since the training’s inception in 2021. Sr Erlinda further said that the training programs have positively impacted many families, sharing success stories from individuals who have started their small catering and sewing businesses. She said that over the years, there has been an increase of participants not only from Rabaul district but also the other 3 districts, even from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and West New Britain Province. The next batch of training starts next month.