OPENING SPEECH BY THE PERMANENT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC SERVICE MR PARMESH CHAND AT THE COLOMBO PLAN STAFF COLLEGE IN-COUNTRY TRAINING WORKSHOP MAY 11 2010

• DR RENATO SOROLLA
• INVITED GUEST
• COURSE COORDINATORS,DIRECTORS AND PARTICIPANTS

I AM HONORED TO BE INVITED TO OFFICIAILLY OPEN THE 5 DAY IN COUNTRY WORKSHOP AT THE CENTRE FOR TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT WHICH WILL BE HELD OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK.

TECHINCAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING HAS AND CONTINUES TO PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR ECONOMY, AS A MATTER OF FACT THE TRAINING THAT STUDENTS ACQUIRE FROM VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SELF EMPLOYED.

THE ROLE OF TVET HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION, RESEARCH AND POLICY REFORM THROUGH OUT THE WORLD. IN FIJI, TVET WAS GIVEN THE INCENTIVE WHEN THE 1969 EDUCATION COMMISSION FOUND THAT SCHOOL CURRICULUM LACKED RELEVANCE IN MANY SUBJECT AREAS TO THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND LOCAL NEEDS.

THE REPORT OF THE FIJI ISLANDS EDUCATION COMMISSION OF 2000 MADE FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR “THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO BE DIVERSIFIED” AND THAT “NECESSARY STRUCTURAL CHANGES BE MADE TO FACILITATE THE EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF TVET IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLING.”

WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPULSORY EDUCATION POLICY THIS HAS ENSURED THAT ALL STUDENTS TAKE AT LEAST ONE TVET SUBJECT AT THE FORMS THREE AND FOUR LEVELS.

IN NUMEROUS COUNTRIES TVET IS CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH MANPOWER PLANNING.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,THE FUTURE OF ANY NATION IS DEPENDENT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS HUMAN RESOURCE, AND INDEED,EDUCATION PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THIS RESPECT.THE MATCHING OF SKILLS IN THE INDUSTRIES AND WORK PLACES WITH THE TRAINING AND SKILL ACQUISITION IN THE SCHOOLS AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS, IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE.MULTI-SKILLING IS NO DOUBT, AN IMPORTANT EXERCISE TO BE UNDERTAKEN.WE NEED TO IDENTIFY THE BENCHMARKS FOR SKILL REQUIREMENT IN THE WORK PLACES AND DRAW UP RELEVANT TRAINING PROGRAMMES THAT WILL DEVELOP SUCH SKILLS.

IN FIJI, WE ARE AWARE OF HOW OUR COUNTRY HAS AN OVER-SUPPLY OF UNSKILLED LABOURERS, YET THE BUILDING INDUSTRY LACKS SKILLED TRADESMEN. IT IS EVIDENT THAT WE NEED TO DO MUCH MORE TO UPSKILL AND UPGRADE OUR TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL LABOUR FORCE.

DUE TO THE VAST CHANGES AND CHALLENGES THAT ACCOMPANY GLOBALIZATION, JOBS DO NOT COME BY VERY EASILY THESE DAYS. HEREIN LIESTHE STRENGTH OF TVET, AS IT IS TARGETED AT PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SELF-MANAGED ENTERPRISES. IN OTHER WORDS IT FOCUSES ON JOB CREATION.

TVET IS INTENDED TO INCREASE THE EMPLOYABILITY OF OUR OWN YOUNG PEOPLE HERE IN FIJI.

IN THE RECENT PAST, THERE HAS BEEN MORE WORK DONE TO ALIGN THE TVET COURSES TAUGHT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO THE WORLD OF WORK AND TO OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS.

IT IS FOR THIS REASON, THAT SOME SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE NOW OFFERING FIJI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (FORMALLY FIT)-FRANCHISED

COURSES WHICH PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY TO A CAREER IN THE VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL FIELD.

IF THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF STUDENTS ARE TO BE ADDRESSED, THEN ALL STUDENTS MUST BE ABLE “TO DO” AS WELL AS “TO KNOW”.

THE MISSION OF TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IS TO EMPOWER STUDENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN AN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY AS WORLD-CLASS WORKERS AND CITIZENS.

IN AMERICA, CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IS A MASSIVE ENTERPRISE AND VIRTUALLY EVERY STUDENT TAKES AT LEAST ONE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION COURSE.

INDIA HAS AN EXTENSIVE TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM. THE MONTFORT BOYS’ TOWN MODEL THAT WE HAVE IN FIJI WAS BORROWED FROM INDIA, AND THE TWO MONTFORT SCHOOLS HAVE PROVED TO BE VERY EFFICIENT AND SUCCESSFUL IN PROVIDING TVET EDUCATION.

IN RESPONSE TO THE RAPIDLY CHANGING NATURE OF THE WORKFORCE AND THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO PERFORM EFFECTIVELY, SCHOOLS NEED TO SHOW MORE COMMITMENT FOR PROGRAMMES WHICH SUPPORT GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD OF WORK, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE SKILLS AND ABILITIES WHICH THEY WILL NEED TO DEMONSTRATE IN THEIR WORKING LIVES.

TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDED IN LEARNING AND SHARPENING YOUR SKILLS OVER THE WEEK IN HELPING CREATE A FUTURE WORKFORCE THAT IS DYNAMIC AND SELF SUFFICIENT.

THANK YOU