The Certificate II in Cookery is one of 11 courses offered at FNU TCF.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a vital component of post-secondary school studies and provides students with the opportunity to gain skills to enhance productivity and employment.

At the Fiji National University (FNU), TVET programmes are offered in various fields to provide students with study opportunities suited to their interests. This enhances FNU’s priority as a dual-sector university offering both TVET and higher education programmes in Fiji and the Pacific region.

Through the FNU Technical College of Fiji (TCF), prospective students can choose a Certificate II course in one of 11 fields in agriculture, automotive mechanic and electrical, baking and patisserie, bodyworks and spray painting, cabinet making, cookery, carpentry, electrical fitter mechanic, plumbing and sheet metal and welding and fabrication.

College of Vocational Education and Training (CVET), Acting Dean, Salabogi Mavoa said students aged 17 and above who apply for a TCF course are also eligible for tuition sponsorship by the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board (TSLB).

“TSLB deadlines close at the end of this week on 24 January, so we encourage students to drop their applications with us and also apply for their TSLB funding,” Mavoa said.

“There is an allocated number for students studying under our TCF programmes, so we remind students to make use of these opportunities available to them to assist in their studies.”

FNU TCF Certificate II in Cookery student, Edward Foon, said the technical skills he acquired from the one-year course provided him with the relevant knowledge he needed to excel in the field.

“What I liked is that I learnt everything, starting from the basics of cookery so that I could develop and expand my skills from there,” the 17-year-old said.

I studied various cooking methods and salad dressing classifications, basic food safety, cookery equipment and utensils, basic starch, poultry, seafood, red meat and egg dishes. I also undertook units in basic communication, calculation and computer skills.”

Foon said he enjoyed the mixed learning method at FNU TCF, which were conducted through videos, presentations and practical cooking time and industrial attachment.

He plans to further his studies at FNU as the Certificate II course was a pathway into the Certificate III and IV in Cookery and Trade Diploma in Culinary Arts programme.

Students interested in FNU’s TVET and higher education programmes can visit our Enrolment Centre at MHCC in Suva, or their nearest FNU campus. Enrolment for Semester 1, 2021 is currently underway.