REBUILDING vocational and apprenticeship institutions while strengthening links between industry and education providers is key to addressing Fiji’s growing skills shortages, a senior government official says.
Permanent secretary for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Maritino Nemani made the comment during a public lecture at the University of the South Pacific.
The lecture featured economist and International Labour Organisation expert Dr Naren Prasad, who spoke on challenges and opportunities in Fiji’s job market.
Mr Nemani said the country had lost many practical training pathways that once provided opportunities for school leavers who did not pursue university education.
He said former apprenticeship programs and technical training institutions had helped produce skilled tradespeople and future industry leaders.
“We need to build those institutions again,” he said.
Mr Nemani said previous programs through technical and vocational institutions enabled many young people to gain practical skills before progressing into supervisory and management roles.
“Some of them even went on to become engineers,” he said.
He said technical and vocational education remained an important option for students who preferred hands-on learning over academic study.
“If you tell them to go take TVET, they will go. They are hands-on kind of people.”
Mr Nemani said a key challenge was the disconnect between policymakers, government agencies, training institutions and employers.
He said Fiji needed stronger labour market evidence so training providers could better prepare graduates for available jobs.
“We need that evidence base so that we can say these are the training and courses that the institutions should create.”
Mr Nemani said universities and training providers should work more closely with industry to ensure graduates had the skills employers required.
“When they are ready, job ready, they fit right into the industry,” he said.
He said the ministry was pursuing plans to establish a Productivity Commission of Fiji to improve workforce productivity and support long-term economic growth and labour market development.
