Females encouraged to pursue their career goals

Press Release Posted On: July 27, 2021

Females need to aim for the stars. These are words of Fiji National University’s (FNU), National Training and Productivity Centre’s (NTPC) student Shareen Singh-Sharma.

The 46-year-old mother is trailblazing the pathway for many who think the academic journey stops when family responsibilities kick in after marriage or when becoming a mother.

Awaiting her graduation for a Diploma in Human Resources Management studies, Singh-Sharma wants to encourage women and girls never to lose hope as, through hard work and dedication, perseverance is rewarded.

“My future plans are to upgrade my HR skills, knowledge, and qualifications and pursue HR consultancy opportunities while assisting in the family business. I do not see age as an obstacle if you have a dream in life,” she said.

The mother of one also attributes her spurt of energy to the close support from her family. Mrs Singh-Sharma comes from a Finance background and has worked in a Chartered Accounting firm as an account assistant for three years and then in a public entity as an Assistant Accountant for six years.

She then joined the HR and Administration Department and has also worked as HR Officer for seven years before being promoted to HR Executive at the Fiji Meat Industry Board. According to Mrs Singh-Sharma upskilling and retraining is important and praised NTPC for providing relevant courses via the online platform so students could continue with their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The switch to online learning mode provided students with an opportunity to learn new things and challenge ourselves to adopts to the new learning environment. It was essential to develop new learning strategies while ensuring normal work-life balance and learning cross-functional skills,” she said.

The necessity of the shift to online learning also heralded new skills to manage time and keep to her schedule. “FNU provided excellent support and mechanisms for students to get through the programme in the most challenging times. I found the learning platform very conducive and convenient. We are grateful for the learning opportunities and the lecturers and staff for the immersive online experience.”

Juggling her busy work schedule, managing family time and studies, she said it was important to put perfect her time management skills. “I managed my studies effectively with the help of stringent timetable and the introduction of study groups by the tutor facilitated a lot of online learning and sharing knowledge,” she said.

“We were always connected through online groups, group work, projects, and online tutorials and lectures. Tertiary learning requires a lot of independent research, and with the help of the University, we were able to keep ourselves equipped with information, facts, and findings.”

Mrs Singh-Sharma said she also engages in activities such as readings, healthy cooking, gardening, and spiritual recitals.

Interested students and stakeholders can learn more about FNU’s TVET courses by visiting https://www.fnu.ac.fj/tvet-pasifika/

Prospective students can also text on 857 or email on admission@fnu.ac.fj if they face difficulties completing the process online or need further information on enrolment. For enquiries relating to NTPC programmes email info.ntpc@fnu.ac.fj