While the informal sector is the dominant factor in the labour market in the Pacific Islands countries, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is still considered second class and has not been given the recognition it deserves.
This is despite the concern by the region’s leaders of the burgeoning youth populations and the lack of opportunities to earn a living.
TVET has been identified as the answer to skilling the Pacific for the informal labour sector. While the 13 countries in the region provide this, there is still a skills shortage in a number of areas —thus affecting private sector development.
A study by the Asian Development Bank, a first on TVET in the region, highlighted the following:
• most had unclear and inappropriate organisational structures;
• where possible, TVET should be governed by apex organisations such as national training authorities;
• choices about where to invest skills in development should be based on evidence of achieving formal and informal employment with minimal resource outlay;
• TVET institutions or centres should have minimum standards and should be subjected to accreditation and periodic quality audits; and
• current incentives in Pacific Islands countries’ TVET systems result in inertia. Budgets are given year after year regardless of performance. Budgets should be compared against targets and they should be allocated according to performance.
The study, presented by Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Dr Helen Tavola, was highlighted at the Australia-Pacific Technical College organised one-day forum to discuss technical and vocational training.
The objective of the forum was to get together key stakeholders from government and the private sector to discuss developments in TVET and direction needed to address challenges it faces.
The study, which looked at TVET in the 13 islands countries was divided into three groups: land rich, low-income countries (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu); small, vulnerable island states: (Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Tuvalu); and advanced islands states: Fiji, Cook Islands, Palau Samoa and Tonga.
According to the report, the growth of the labour market far exceeds growth in wage jobs.
“This means that new entrants will have to work in the informal sector. The informal sector in the Pacific is largely limited to processing and merchandising of primary produce, providing services such as carpentry and mechanical repair, transport and small scale vending, and producing and selling handicraft and sewn materials.
“Skills gap occur in all these activities. Small-scale fishing and other primary production provide the main opportunities in vulnerable islands states and greater agricultural production in land rich states.
“Ironically, the formal sector jobs are limited but pockets of skills shortages occur throughout the wage economies of the Pacific. Three main factors are responsible: growth in the mining sector (PNG) and tourism (Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu) has created a rising demand for skilled labour especially in management and supervision and trades occupations capable of working to international standards; emigration has positive aspects including remittances to the source country and opening jobs locally.
“However, emigration exacerbates domestic skills shortages as many with skills leave for better paying jobs elsewhere and the supply chain of TVET is insufficient in key fields. TVET graduates do not often have the level of knowledge and skills required for the job,” the report said.
However, the study recommended that coordination was needed among the main providers—Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
“Fragmentation and lack of coordination needs to be countered among informal sector trainers in Fiji and Vanuatu.
“Excessive centralisation should be changed in PNG where the ministry of education still controls directly the business and technical colleges.
“The apex training organisations in the Marshalls, PNG and Vanuatu require more resources to carry out their functions properly.
“PNG, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands need to prioritise their TVET plans, calculate costs and budget them properly. TVET plans are needed in Fiji, Kiribati, FSM and Tuvalu.”
The Director-General of Training and Productivity of Fiji, Jone Usamate, also presented a paper on technical and vocational training undertaken by TPAF and the challenges it faces. Usamate highlighted a very important development in that more students are taking night classes offered by TPAF and this according to him is a good sign for TVET.
