- The Australian Government funded TVET Centre is running workshops on making furniture from rattan in Retur village, Banan Bay area, South East Malekula to respond to the demand created by the growing tourism industry in Malampa.
- Before the workshops the people in South East Malekula had only thought of the bush vine with prickly thorns as a useless material that needed to be cut and burnt when clearing bush for gardening purposes. Now people in Malekula have the opportunity to maximise their income generation potential from a material they once considered waste.
- The Malampa TVET Centre initiated the workshops as part of its Business Development Services (BDS) and sourced rattan furniture expert, Tias James, from South East Ambryn to conduct the workshops which happen in two separate stages.
- The first stage is cane harvesting, treatment and drying which has recently been completed in South East Malekula. The second stage is furniture production which will be held in February next year. Where the furniture will be produced in the provincial town centre, Lakatoro, and then be ready sale.
- The rattan furniture workshops further demonstrates the TVET Centre’s commitment to support the tourism industry in Malampa. Over the past two years the TVET Centre has been running a series of workshops and coaching session to improve the quality of the bungalows and tours in Malampa. The furniture workshops will now provide quality locally-made furniture for the bungalow owners to purchase, creating economic activity from the tourism sector.
- The TVET Centre aims to support a training and business development system which is responsive to productive sector and community needs and leads to economic development.
Rattan furniture making workshop in Malampa