FNU’s 2021 Virtual Open Week a success

Press Release Posted On: September 17, 2021

FNU’s Fiji Maritime Academy live Zoom session during the final day of Virtual Open Week.

The Fiji National University’s (FNU) Virtual Open Week (VOW) came to a successful conclusion this afternoon with an impressive turnout of local and regional prospective students, parents, guardians and teachers participating in the live interactive sessions that were held on multiple online platforms including Facebook, Zoom and YouTube.

Eight sessions were held in total with each being dedicated to a specific College, as well as the National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC), Fiji Maritime Academy (FMA) and TVET Pasifika, which enabled participants to participate in forums they were interested in.

The dedicated sessions also provided prospective students with more time to listen and also ask relevant questions to FNU staff through the chat platforms. Participants also had the opportunity to chat live with the FNU team through the website www.fnu.ac.fj daily from 9am to 5pm during the week.

Raymond Smith, an IT Teacher at Adi Cakobau School, said hosting live dedicated sessions for each of the colleges was an excellent idea that enabled students to ask questions specifically about the wide range of programmes on offer directly with the academic team.

“It enabled our students to be focused on a set of subjects. I was also amazed that the top hierarchy of each of the colleges was virtually present which enabled students to communicate directly with them,” said Smith.

“The course descriptions of the different schools and the career opportunities elaboration was really helpful.”

“A great effort from the FNU team for organising the virtual week. The students were excited as there was even a session on how to do an online application,” he said.

Smith added that the sessions were informative and well-delivered.

FNU Director Marketing and Communications, Karen Lobendahn said the intention behind holding the Virtual Open Week on multiple platforms was to reach out to a wide audience in Fiji and the Pacific region.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed restrictions on movement and with most of the students continuing their education via the online mode, the VOW proved an effective and efficient mode to reach out to students as they plan and finalise their tertiary education journey.

“The 2021 FNU Virtual Open Week has been a great success and we thank all the students, parents and teachers who joined us for the week-long sessions,” said Lobendahn.

“The sessions were divided into mid-morning and after lunch, which enabled our viewers to plan their day well and join us from the comfort of their own space.”

“I’m pleased to say that we saw many prospective students join our live sessions throughout the week from Fiji as well as the region. This is a good sign for us as we look to strengthen our foothold in this market. So we are really pleased to have had this opportunity to reach out to students, have them explore the study opportunities we offer and at the same time answer their queries,” Lobendahn commented.

The Director Marketing and Communications also acknowledged all the FNU staff as well as sponsors for making the FNU 2021 Virtual Open Week a success. The sponsors include Fiji Sun, Vodafone, Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, Telecom Fiji Limited, the Reserve Bank of Fiji and Digicel.

She added that FNU will continue to provide all prospective students with relevant information to guide them on the right path and assist them to achieve their career aspirations.