A graduate of the 2018 Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) ‘Into Business’ workshop has successfully founded a construction business that has created employment opportunities for other Torres Strait Islanders.
Alonza Ahwang, who completed the ‘Into Business’ workshop in May of 2018, is based in his home community of St Pauls and has set up a scaffolding business that employs a small team of locals.
The TSRA ‘Into Business’ workshops are run in partnership with Indigenous Business Australia to help people fully investigate their business ideas in their own time at their own pace with the goal of long-term success.
The TSRA Chairperson, Mr Napau Pedro Stephen AM, said the TSRA Into Business workshopsare vital to create opportunities to develop small businesses in the Torres Strait region and to encourage people to take the important first steps to starting their own successful business.
“The TSRA is very proud of the hard work and commitment shown by Alonza in completing the ‘Into Business’ workshops, and then setting up his own scaffolding business and providing services and employment opportunities for the local community here in the Torres Strait.
“Alonza is an inspiration to us all, and he is now keen to share his experience with other potential young business people to give it a go.
“Now that Alonza is in Business, the TSRA is in discussion with him in its role as the lead economic development ‘Solution Broker’ for the Torres Strait region to provide further support aligned to the current stage of his business.”