For Grace Bisaun, seeing a new 100-bed female dormitory at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) in Lae is a career milestone.
Originally from East Sepik Province, Grace completed all her schooling in Lae before studying architecture and building at PNGUoT. During her fourth year, she undertook industrial training with the university’s Estates and Services Team.
It was during that time, in 2022, that she attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the dormitory project.
Today, Grace is working on the same project as a site clerk within the Unitech Projects office, helping deliver a facility that will provide safe and modern accommodation for female students.
“I’m honoured and grateful for the opportunity to give back to the university and contribute to the development of its infrastructure,” Grace said.
Funded by Australia’s Incentive Fund, the new dormitory will enable more female students to enrol, live and study on campus. These women – future engineers and other technical professionals – will contribute to building a more inclusive and capable construction and infrastructure workforce in Papua New Guinea.
For Grace, the dormitory’s completion represents a combination of both her education and career in construction, and the career opportunities for women in the construction industry.
