Alifereti Cawanibuka on left at the FNU National TVET Forum.

For any business or industry to thrive, productivity is crucial, and investing in human assets is necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the company. This also promotes the creation of a winning culture, which was successful in groups such as the Fiji 7s team, which has been known for its successes in the last two Olympic Games.

These were the strong sentiments shared by the former Fiji National University (FNU), Sports Development Adviser, Alifereti Cawanibuka at the recent 2023 National TVET Forum organised by the University.

“I want to emphasise the term ‘winning culture’. How we can develop this and meet the needs of the 21st century. We as training providers have this task to address in whichever programme we are delivering, whether it’s going to be challenging to our students and whether it’s going to meet the industry needs and take us to a different level,” he said.

Likewise, organisations and management teams need to set the development plan for their staff to excel and be part of the winning culture of their workplace and in their careers.

“Now if you look at the composition of the (7s) players, they are the best players. The raw materials are there but what is important is the programme, whether the programme is effective, and this should be seen when the boys are participating at the international level.”

“We need to see the gap and fill in those gaps through the development of staff, mentoring and counselling sessions, having one-on-one sessions with them and recognising their hard work and commitments.”

“Through this, we will have highly skilled people and there would be a high productivity rate and the employees and employers will benefit.”

Over 150 individuals from academic institutions, regional organisations and the private and public sector participated in the 2023 National TVET Forum at the Fiji National University’s (FNU), Nasinu Campus.

The objective was to explore ways to revive the TVET sector and provide the needed support and mechanisms to achieve this. Participants shared their sector-specific insights, experiences, and recommendations during the Forum.