FNU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lyn Karstadt (right) is joined by NTPC Advisory Board Chair Raymond Prasad (sitting in the middle), along with Director NTPC, Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata (standing second from right), and NTPC senior staff and industry partners at the launch.

The Fiji National University’s (FNU) National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) released its 2022 Industry and Community Discussion Forum (ICDF) Report. The focus of the publication is a review of the skills gaps in Fiji’s workforce both now and in the future, as well as the steps the institution plans to take to fill these gaps.

The NTPC, which is also the National Productivity Organisation of Fiji, conducts this annual study by identifying workforce upskilling and re-skilling areas. This assists the Centre in strengthening and ensuring the relevance of its training courses for organisations in Fiji.

The ICDF is an annual exercise, and it is one of the main key performance indicators each year to measure the productivity of the skills shortage in Fiji. NTPC carried out the survey by virtually meeting the organisations and individuals.

The Director NTPC, Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata, said the method of carrying out the survey has changed from the previous years, where the NTPC would go into the towns and cities to gather the feedback.

“The survey is like an annual health check for NTPC – to gauge from you our stakeholders about our effectiveness in terms of services, consultancies, productivity, and industry training,” Dr Tagicakiverata said.

“The ICDF is normally held in the first quarter of the year from February to April, and the entire NTPC team is fully engaged in visiting and meeting with business leaders and employees, in the workforce. The main aim of this forum is to gather information about industry and stakeholder training needs.

“This information allows us to better plan our courses to meet the ever-changing needs of employers and employees from a wide range of sectors, including big corporations and non-profit organisations, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including individuals exploring means to sustain their livelihoods.”

This year, NTPC organised virtual discussions and industry visits, with more than 400 organisations, which is 40% more stakeholder engagement than last year.

“Skills training needs were analysed comprehensively according to specific industries, locations, age groups, and work ranks. The common skills set sought by organisations and employees are IT training, digital skills, work-life balance, OHS, leadership and management, plumbing, manufacturing, manufacturing and AutoCAD, to name a few,” Dr Tagicakiverata mentioned.

“The forum discussion and survey also find that upskilling and reskilling programs and on-the-job training (apprenticeship) are most effective and popular amongst employers for filling skills vacuums rather than recruitment and staff redeployment.

“The survey indicates that Fiji has a highly educated and skilled workforce.

The National Training and Productivity Centre of the Fiji National University is the leading organisation that provides short up-skilling and reskilling courses for the Fijian workforce.

As the designated National Productivity Organisation for Fiji, NTPC is also mandated to promote productivity and business excellence in all sectors. NTPC’s key role is to reduce the skills gaps in our workforce by conducting tailor-made in-service training in Fiji, Trade Testing and Apprenticeship.