SIT30713 Certificate III in Hospitality, 2014

Lora Karlo’s search for opportunities brought her to the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) for studies and led her all the way to Halls Creek, Western Australia, where she currently works as a junior chef with Kimberly Hotel.

Lora was amongst other Ni-Vanuatu nationals who left for work in Australia in November 2021 under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme.  

This was possible through an Australian employer’s request to the Pacific Labour Facility to recruit Pacific workers.  The request was then facilitated by the Vanuatu Government through the Department of Labour to recruit qualified Ni-Vanuatu for semi-skill trade areas in Australia.

“When I got the call to work in Australia, I felt confident because my APTC training taught me life skills that prepared me for local and international job opportunities,” said Lora.

She considered the offer to work in Australia with three goals in mind, to learn new skills in a commercial kitchen, earn a better income to support her family, and build her catering business when she returns to Vanuatu.

The excitement of a new job comes with challenges, however, Lora is enjoying the experience and credits her supervisors for sharing the knowledge and answering her many questions.

Nigel Tily who supervises Lora on the job is proud of her performance and contribution at Kimberly Hotel.

“Lora is learning very fast and thrives on pushing herself to be the best she can be. She has an awesome skill set which will only improve with time,” he said.

In 2014, Lora graduated with a Certificate III in Hospitality (SIT30713) and considers herself lucky to study at APTC. She says it gave her a second chance at setting her professional goals with aspirations for a career change in the future.  

“I was once a waitress, who is changing career to become a chef. It’s a tough journey, but I believe that I can make it with the knowledge and courage I have gained.”

A love for cooking and the determination to work in the kitchen helped Lora cope through difficult times, like job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she took a chance and enrolled in the Advanced Masterclass in Patisserie and Bakery, a non-accredited one-month short course offered by APTC and shares that this training helped her gain skills for her current role.

 “APTC gave me another chance to set my options right.  I have new goals in life, I am a junior chef and I am working my way up one step at a time.”

Shortly after her training, Lora was selected to work in Australia. She returns home in 2023 and is looking forward to reuniting with her children and achieving the goals she set for herself through this opportunity.  

“My future plan is to come home to Vanuatu and start a catering business. I believe the new skills and experience gained here will be very useful and beneficial for the future.”