Batch 1 Certificate 4 Accounting students from IBS College of TVET (IBSC) visited Barlow Industry at 6 Mile, Port Moresby, on Wednesday, July 30th, 2025. The main idea behind this field visit was for the students to experience corporate environment operations and understand how an accounting department functions in a practical setting.

This visit was organized as an initiative for the students to gain exposure to what a leading PNG industry is doing, especially in the accounting area. These students are in their final stage and will be graduating at the end of this year.

The students were privileged to meet the General Manager for Barlow, Mr. Kiran Shivaraj; the Financial Controller, Ms. Padmaja Thole; the Division Manager, Mr. A.S. Nazeer Ali; and the Senior Recruitment Officer, Ms. Edith Agaru.

During the opening remarks, Mr. Shivaraj said, “I have discussed with my team to share with you all how the process is going on in the company… I know you are from an accounting background, but you need to know about the full process of the company.”

“1000 must be equal to 1000, 99.9 must be 99.9, not 100. You are accounting; numbers are our main case,” he added.

Students were enthusiastic and asked a lot of questions, one of which Mr. Shivaraj answered. He encouraged students to learn how to use accounting systems, especially Pronto and MYOB. He said when you know the system, there is no need for external training; these systems are user-friendly and make it easy to pull out reports.

IBS College of TVET accounting students are privileged to have MYOB as part of their curriculum.

“I always thought that what we learn in the classroom is what we will face in the real working environment, but when we visited Barlow, it was a whole different scenario. I learned four things during the industrial visit which were emphasized by the team at Barlow: discipline, sacrifice, hard work, and respect,” says Duran Sone, CIA 4 Accounting.

When asked how a new graduate can be given a job by IBSC Accounting Lecturer Mr. Jack Marme, Ms. Edith Agaru, Senior HR Officer at Barlow, shared hiring tips with the students: “Whether you’re doing part-time or volunteer jobs, always get a reference to attach with your qualification. This reference will support your qualification to get a job, because qualification and experience go hand in hand.”

And Mr. Shivaraj added, “Don’t see the time, see the work. Improve your soft skills, keep on learning. This type of industrial visit takes you into how practical accounting can be in a working environment. Be confident when looking for jobs as a new graduate.”

“Go for entry-level accounting roles. Don’t see the salary but get the experience and skills. After that, you can apply to big companies or big roles.”

Meanwhile, the Financial Controller of Barlow was thrilled to see a good number of accounting students: “As an accounting person, it is great to see a good number of students who will take finance and accounting in the future,” says Ms. Padmaja Thole.

Accounting Lecturer Jack Marme and Accounting Tutor Tanya Tore accompanied the students on the field visit.
In a broader perspective, this visit is part of the MoU agreement between Barlow Industry and IBS College of TVET.

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