Employment Minister, Agni Deo Singh, is calling for collective action to address the nation’s skills gap.

He once again highlighted the value of TVET and skill-based programs in fulfilling critical workforce needs.

“We are encouraging students to take up TVET through the various providers on full scholarship and these institutions are all registered by the Fiji Higher Education Commission and they are all monitored FHEC to ensure that we provide quality TVET training not theory but actual hands on training, that is very important for us.”

Singh says they have also incentivized apprenticeship scheme.

“Now we have 400 places for apprentices and we have advertised through TSLS encouraging employers to take on apprentices. Again these apprentices are also going to be bonded because as an incentive, government is topping up their wages by $2, which means the minimum wage for employee apprentices being $2.90, topped up by another $2 becomes $4. 90 /hour so that should attract apprentices into employment and training on the job, training by employers, and then they get bonded to serve for that period.”

Singh emphasizes collaboration with employer organizations like the Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation to ensure graduates possess industry-relevant skills.