Professor Toby Wilkinson.

The COVID-19 pandemic has re-shaped economies around the world, including here in Fiji. Some sectors, such as tourism and hospitality, have been particularly hard hit, and will need to rebuild. Other sectors, such as agriculture, have fared better, but are facing new challenges, including climate change adaptation and technological development. Across all employment sectors, for individuals and companies alike, there is an urgent need to re-skill and up-skill to meet the demands of the post-pandemic economy.

Fortunately, the Fiji National University is here to help. With generous support from the Government’s Re-Skilling Fund, FNU is pleased to be offering a wide-range of short courses in 2022. The courses are designed to re-skill and up-skill those who have lost their jobs due to the economic impact of the pandemic, and prepare them for new jobs and successful careers in the same or different industries.

Each of the courses has been designed in partnership with industry to meet the evolving needs of the labour market. For example, the tourism and hospitality sector has lost thousands of jobs in the past 18 months, and will need to re-hire staff to meet rising demand once borders fully re-open. But tourism in the future will not be the same as it was before COVID-19.

Tourists will be more discerning, and Fiji’s tourism offer will have to adapt in order to thrive in a more competitive environment. Customer service will be an essential skill, alongside cultural sensitivity – recognising that tourists from China and tourists from Australia have different expectations and different requirements. Sustainable tourism and eco-tourism are expected to be particular growth sectors, and Fiji – which has all the ingredients for a world-class sustainable and eco-tourism offer – will need to adapt to capitalise on this trend. FNU’s short courses have been designed to provide individuals who want to re-enter the tourism and hospitality sector, or to secure their future in the sector, the skills they need to succeed.

In the world of commerce, the pandemic has forced businesses large and small to innovate and adapt their systems to online delivery. Around the world, e-commerce is growing fast, and in some markets over-taking traditional, in-person models. In Fiji, too, the growth opportunities for e-commerce are significant. FNU’s short courses, in areas like digital marketing, office automation and cyber security, provide the essential skills needed for individuals to gain jobs in the growing e-commerce sector.

Other growth sectors, in Fiji and neighbouring countries, include counselling, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and age care. FNU is working with local and international partners to offer re-skilling courses that meet the needs of employers across the Pacific region. The global pandemic has highlighted the opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, as old industries disappear and change, and new ones emerge. FNU is determined to produce ‘job creators’ as well as ‘job seekers’, and its short courses provide the skills needed to start your own business.

So, whether you are looking to re-enter employment, move sectors, or secure your future in your current industry, FNU’s re-skilling and up-skilling short courses have everything you need. Education for Employability is your goal, and our mission.

The first round of twenty-five short courses will be offered in January 2022.  The government in its 2021/22 national budget made available one million dollars to fund the reskilling and upskilling programmes at FNU.

The courses are funded by the Fiji government through the tertiary scholarship and loans scheme (TSLS).  It is under the loans scheme program of TSLS.

For further information or clarification, please feel free to contact the following staff:

Professor Toby Wilkinson
Vice-Chancellor
Fiji National University