PNGUOT Alumni Association Soft-Launches Online Platform to Boost Networking

The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUOT) Alumni Association, in collaboration with its NCD Chapter, has officially soft-launched its inaugural online Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. The event took place at the Institute of Banking and Business Management (IBBM) Auditorium in Port Moresby.

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One of the initial ideas was to basically make the graduates of the university get to know each other, and then contribute towards the university’s overall development.

The platform's creation stems from years of voluntary effort to connect graduates and foster contributions to the university's development. National President Dr. Patrick Michael highlighted that a core idea was to enable graduates to connect with each other and support PNGUOT's overall growth. Vice Chancellor Professor Ora Renagi described alumni as a significant, yet untapped, asset, stressing the necessity of robust organization and systems for an effective alumni association.

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An effective alumni association requires proper organisation, administration, communication, and a reliable system of maintaining membership and engaging alumni.

NCD Chapter President Anthony Pakakota explained that the new platform, powered by global vendor Gravity, will consolidate fragmented social media groups into a centralized CRM-style system. This move is intended to demonstrate the alumni's active engagement. NCD Chapter Project Lead Priscilla Kevin detailed the registration process, noting that applications require endorsement from existing financial members before approval.

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For an alumni, we have to demonstrate that we are an active alumni. That’s why you need a proper CRM platform.

The SaaS platform supports up to 5,000 registered users and 100 sub-groups. It includes features for managing employment data, job postings, directory services, mentoring, and interactive engagement, functioning as an all-in-one space for alumni. This launch coincides with PNGUOT being recognized as the first and only fully accredited engineering university in Papua New Guinea under the Washington Accord. A full hard launch of the platform is planned for later this year.

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So when you do your registration, there’s a field for it, It has to be an existing financial member, someone who is an active member. Once you pay, they’ll enable your access.