ONLY those who are not employed will be considered to work under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) and New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Work Scheme, says Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh.
As registrations for PALM and RSE Work Scheme open tomorrow, Mr Singh said priority would be given to the youths from rural areas.
“We are very clear on this,” Mr Singh said. “We are not encouraging anyone who is employed here, or those who are in the skilled sector to apply.
“We check with the FNPF whether they’re employed before we process. We actually are selecting those who are unemployed.
“Our priority is those who come from villages, who are subsistence farmers out there.”
He said last week, a team from the ministry was in Kadavu to do the recruitment.
“We selected 20 of them from Kadavu and we have provided them with pre-departure training on the island itself.
“They should be going this week.
“So, we are going out to the provinces now to provide the pre-departure training, as well as providing reintegration training as well.
“Reintegration means when they come back, how they get back into the community and how they can use their savings to ensure they can improve their living standards and that of their families and also contribute to their communities.”