An initiative by the European Union (EU) in partnership with the Australian Government is providing a training program for the Fijian sugar industry that improves the livelihoods of the sugar cane dependent populations by promoting income generation through sugar cane farming or alternative livelihoods.
The training, which is part of the EU’s Support to the Sugar Industry Programme (SSIP), is delivered by the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC).
APTC is a development initiative funded by the Australian Government to deliver training and to increase the supply of skilled workers in targeted sectors in the Pacific region. APTC has campuses in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
The training program, which runs till 2017, will focus on upgrading skills of workers employed in the Fiji sugar industry including skilled and unskilled mill workers, middle and senior level staff of the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC), leader farmers and agricultural extension officers.
Project Leader for the training delivery, Kevin Wyatt said that APTC had engaged with sugar industry stakeholders to develop a training program to address skills gaps across the sugar supply chain.
He added that the qualifications and skill sets for the training is drawn from the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) to ensure that it is demand-driven and enhances workforce development outcomes.
The training program has started earlier this month with the first set of around 70 workers from the sugar mills and other stakeholder groups around the country undertaking the Certificate IV in Frontline Management course.
The Certificate IV in Frontline Management is an internationally recognised qualification accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
Business Studies Trainer, Kerri Leadbitter says that this qualification is particularly relevant to individuals who work at the operational level of management in their role, in a wide range of organisational and industry contexts.
“The course is very much based around the workplaces of participants who use real work scenarios in all their learning, and in most cases, can take the skills they learn and apply them directly to their day-to-day job roles,” she added.
Participants like Eremasi Tuinimata and Vinita Devi are learning innovative business tools and methods for their workplaces including high-level skills in areas like communications, teamwork, problem-solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organising, self-management and coaching and mentoring.
“The course is helping me improve my knowledge and understanding of management and leadership qualities which are directly applicable to the key result areas of my job,” mentioned Eremasi.
Similar comments were shared by Vinita, who said that the course assignments are relevant to workplace situations and help identify weaknesses and strengths.
The training courses are conducted in a flexible manner to allow a lighter study load that is customised to meet the workload of learners.