RAPPP TRAIN LOCALS TO SUPPORT RSIPF ADMIN

Meet Mrs. Wendy Tamaika, one of the many local Solomon Islands members supporting the Australian Federal Police (AFP) ongoing Solomon Policing Partnership.

Mrs. Tamaika has completed professional trainings in business management and administration at the University of the South Pacific (USP) Honiara Campus through the support of the RSIPF and Australian Federal Police (AFP) police-to-police program known as the RSIPF and AFP Policing Partnership Program (RAPPP).

RAPPP has been supporting the RSIPF in many areas like; provision of equipment, police outposts and trainings to RSIPF officers to help enhance policing in the Solomon Islands. AFP and RSIPF have been working together as policing partners for the past 20 years to tackle crime in the region.

Mrs. Tamaika is one of the locals benefiting from the RAPPP by gaining important new skills and experience as she works with the RSIPF.

She joined RAPPP in mid-2020. By 2021, RAPPP supported her to complete Professional Diploma in Business Management (PDBM). This year, RAPPP will continue to support her to do her Professional Diploma in Business Administration (PDBA).

The mother of four kids says she decided to continue her studies to a Diploma because she wanted to go step-by-step and get to familiarize herself with the Diploma level before moving to the Bachelor level.

“RAPPP is the sole organization that helped me in my career. Through the trainings I attend supported by RAPPP, it gives me a lot of confidence in what I do,” Mrs. Tamaika says.

She says the trainings have equipped her with knowledge that has improved her administrative skills, how to do day-to-day tasks as well as improving her interaction with staff and stakeholders.

“I would say, RAPPP has supported me immensely with these trainings. Not many institutions announce they will push for local workers to do and complete professional training in their field of interest. The AFP has been generous in giving me a chance,” Mrs. Tamaika says.

She says programs such as RAPPP may not last forever and at least they are supporting locals be equipped with things that will last as they do their work to help the country after the completion of the program.

“Many of us who were trained through RAPPP are now equipped with skills and knowledge and it is our part to utilize what we have been equipped with,” Mrs. Tamaika says.

She says the AFP RAPPP has demonstrated genuine concern for local Solomon Islands workers as it does not leave workers out in the open but it helps them plan their future employment prospects.

Among other things, her typical day-to-day work includes scheduling meeting, responding to emails, dealing with the coordination of activities, assisting RSIPF and creating things like data bases, things she learned from her studies at USP.

“The AFP RAPPP really help build my career. It’s something I owe to the program,” Mrs. Tamaika added.

The AFP RAPPP partnership with RSIPF promotes a community partnership with the Solomon Islands people and employs Locally Engaged Citizens (LEC) to assist develop and deliver the program with RSIPF. The AFP are committed to continuing to work with RSIPF and the Solomon Islands community to support a peaceful secure future, fighting criminals threating our region.