Registration for Fiji National University’s (FNU) free online course in entrepreneurial skills will begin from Monday 1 June 2020.

Offered by FNU’s National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) in partnership with Crystal Delta, this Business & Computing Fundamentals course is designed to provide the necessary skills for new business start-ups aimed especially at members of the Fiji community who may wish start small and medium enterprise businesses in light of some of the negative economic effects of COVID-19. However, the course is open to all who would like to learn how to start a new business.

The course is intended for anyone seeking to develop their fundamental business skills, whether to start their own business, increase their employability or learn a new skill. The course offers an introduction to business fundamentals and is aimed at helping potential entrepreneurs to develop the essential skills, tools and strategies they may need to launch their own businesses.  The course does not require any previous study of business; however, given that this is a fully online course, basic computing skills are required.

FNU Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor James Pounder said that “as the National University, FNU has a duty of care for all the citizens of Fiji. COVID-19 has led to many Fiji citizens being displaced from their current employment. It is with this situation in view, that FNU is offering this short upskilling course to enable the many talents of Fiji citizens to be channelled into entrepreneurial and innovative areas as the nation begins to emerge from the pandemic into what is increasingly being called ‘the new normal”.

It is a two-week course with a combination of self-paced learning and support through online group coaching. The programme will start in early June and will require two to three hours of daily module study and one hour of daily activity and reflection.

Divided into two modules, the first module will expose participants to the ICT skills required for running a business, and the second will guide participants on how to prepare an effective and impactful business plan.

This course will cover the fundamentals of launching a business from ideation, marketing, sales, financial management, through to basic operations. Participants will learn how to formulate and refine their business plan and answer questions around product-market fit and price validation.

Participants can choose to register for two different types of certification. Participation level certification requires those taking the course to engage in class quizzes etc. but does not require a final business plan for assessment. Attainment level certification will require a participant to create a business plan and this level of certification carries up to 8 credit points which participants may use to enter an appropriate full-time programme and/or engage in further online courses.  The University is prepared to offer assistance to participants who produce credible business plans, to seek for funding opportunities.

The course has been developed in conjunction with Crystal Delta and will be offered via a new online learning initiative called “FNU Online” that is a collaborative venture between FNU, Crystal Delta and Walesi.

This platform allows the University to reach members of the community in Fiji and beyond that are not currently enrolled in FNU programmes, provide new online short courses that meet industry needs for professional development, and enable new pathways for learners to upskill, retrain and transition into new career pathways.

FNU Online will also further enhance the University’s blended and fully online learning options.