Ten F-FDTL members graduate from intensive specialist training as two Australian Defence Force M730 Steel Camels are officially handed over to Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste has reached an important new milestone in building its sovereign workforce and infrastructure capability, with ten members of the Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) successfully graduating from the M730 Steel Camel Capability Development Programme.
The landmark graduation follows a rigorous month-long training program delivered in Tetum and English and culminated in the official handover of two M730 Steel Camel machines from the Australian Defence Force to the F-FDTL.
The achievement means Timor-Leste now has a locally trained and licensed group of operators equipped with internationally aligned competencies to safely operate the specialist machinery.
Importantly, the capability has been developed around sustainability and self-reliance, enabling the equipment to be operated, maintained, repaired and supported in Timor-Leste rather than creating an ongoing dependence on overseas specialists and complex external support.
Highly respected Australian-Timorese business leader and workforce development advocate Tammy Kassiou said the graduation represented exactly what genuine capability development should achieve.
“This is an incredibly important moment because we are not simply bringing machinery into Timor-Leste, we are building the human capability required to operate it safely, competently and sustainably,” Kassiou said.
“Equipment alone does not build a nation. Skilled people do.
“Ten F-FDTL members now have skills, qualifications and licences that will help Timor-Leste develop and maintain its own capability. That knowledge remains here, within the country and within its people.
“That is what genuine sovereign capability looks like.”
From machinery handover to national capability
The graduation ceremony marked the successful completion of the M730 Steel Camel Capability Development Programme and the beginning of an important new operational capability for the F-FDTL.
The ceremony commenced with prayers and a formal blessing of the machinery, followed by the national anthems of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and Australia.
Representatives of the Defence Cooperation Programme and the Australian Embassy joined senior Timor-Leste representatives to recognise the achievement.
Concluding remarks were delivered by Chefe do Estado-Maior General das F-FDTL, Tenente-General Domingos Raúl – Falur Rate Laek, together with a representative from the Ministry of Public Works acting on behalf of H.E. Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.
The presence of senior representatives reflected the broader importance of developing skilled human resources to support Timor-Leste’s infrastructure, logistics, emergency response and national development.
Kassiou said the program demonstrated how international partnerships can create lasting capability when equipment investment is accompanied by quality training.
“Handing over a machine is one thing. Ensuring Timorese people have the skills and qualifications to operate, maintain and sustain that capability is something much more powerful,” Kassiou said.
“This is about ensuring that when new capability comes into the country, Timor-Leste has trained people on the ground who can take ownership of it.
“The objective must always be to build capability within Timor-Leste rather than dependency outside it.”
Ten graduates, seven credentials each
The ten F-FDTL members completed an intensive month of theoretical and practical training at the OHS facility at the B.J. Habibie site, with practical assessments undertaken at Metinaro Military Base.
Training was delivered in Tetum and English and focused heavily on technical competency, safe machinery operation and workplace health and safety.
Each successful graduate achieved three Statements of Attainment aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework:
• RIIHAN309F – Conduct Telescopic Materials Handler Operations
• RIIHAN301E – Operate an Elevated Work Platform
• RIIWHS204E – Work Safely at Heights
Graduates also achieved four Timor-Leste national licences:
• Class LIC001 – Induction to Work Health and Safety
• Class TH – Telehandler
• Class EWP – Elevated Work Platform
• Class WH – Working at Heights
Following the formal handover, the graduates put their newly acquired skills into action through a live Steel Camel Machine Capability Demonstration, showcasing their ability to safely manoeuvre and operate the high-risk machinery.
Operations were undertaken within a rigorous safety framework developed in accordance with Decree Law No. 19/2025.
A new standard for Timor-Leste’s workforce
Kassiou, founder and managing director of the Philotimo Group and Chair of the GEM Foundation, has spent years working to strengthen employment, education, vocational training and workforce development opportunities in Timor-Leste.
She is also behind the establishment of Licensing TL, which is supporting the development and introduction of training, certification and licensing systems for construction, civil works and other high-risk industries.
Kassiou said the F-FDTL graduation demonstrated why qualifications and licensing must sit at the centre of Timor-Leste’s next phase of development.
“This is what we want to see replicated across Timor-Leste, people being trained properly, assessed properly and licensed properly before they undertake high-risk work,” Kassiou said.
“Whether someone is operating equipment for defence, construction, infrastructure, mining, logistics or another industry, safety and competency cannot be optional.
“Timor-Leste is entering an exciting period of development. As investment in infrastructure and industry grows, our investment in people must grow with it.”
Building capability that stays in Timor-Leste
A key feature of the Steel Camel program is that the M730 was selected with long-term local sustainability in mind. The machinery can be operated, maintained and repaired locally without requiring continuous access to overseas specialists or sophisticated diagnostic infrastructure.
When combined with trained and licensed local operators and disciplined maintenance procedures, the machines become a sustainable national asset rather than simply imported equipment.
Kassiou said this principle should underpin future capability development across the country.
“Every time we train another person, we strengthen Timor-Leste,” she said.
“Every licence represents another worker who understands how to undertake their role safely. Every qualification builds confidence, employability and productivity.
“Today we are celebrating ten highly capable F-FDTL graduates.
“Tomorrow, we want to see hundreds and ultimately thousands of Timorese people gaining recognised skills and licences across the industries that will build this country’s future.
“This is how we create lasting change, one skilled person at a time.”
Skills as the foundation of nation-building
Timor-Leste is continuing to invest in infrastructure, workforce development and institutional capability as the country prepares for its next phase of economic development.
Kassiou believes the development of a skilled domestic workforce will be critical to ensuring the benefits of that growth remain within the country.
“A nation’s greatest resource is its people,” Kassiou said.
“If we give Timorese people world-class training, recognised qualifications, strong safety standards and opportunities to use those skills, we create capability that cannot be taken away.
“The graduates should be enormously proud of what they have achieved.
“They haven’t simply learned how to operate a machine. They are helping demonstrate what the future of Timor-Leste’s skilled workforce can look like.”
About Licensing TL
Licensing TL is Timor-Leste’s trusted partner for building a skilled, safe and job-ready workforce.
Working in collaboration with government and industry, Licensing TL supports the national development and rollout of training, certification and licensing frameworks across construction, mining, logistics, oil and gas and other high-risk sectors.
The organisation delivers international-standard training, recruitment and consultancy services, supported by highly qualified local and international trainers and government-aligned competency systems.
