SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF THE HALL AT YOUTH TRAINING CENTRE – NASAU
Youth Training Centre - Nasau Thursday
Nasau, Sigatoka 22 June 2017
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The Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports
Officials of the Ministry
Colleagues from OISCA
Youth trainees
Distinguished guests
Good afternoon and Bula vinaka to you all.
Today, we are here to celebrate another achievement at our Training Centre - our training in practice – 2 groups of trainees constructed this building over 8 months. What an achievement for our student trainees.
The Ministry is working to strengthen our training institutions and the courses we offer. We are working to ensure all our training courses are accredited which will help our trainees successfully find employment opportunities.
Similarly we are also building the Non-Formal Education in partnership with all stakeholders. This will help young Fijians and give them a second chance at education and employment.
The Ministry is also planning to market our training centres around Fiji and offer attractive short courses or team-building opportunities to ensure we are operational all year round. This newly built hall will open up new opportunities for the Centre in the very near future.
As we upgrade the courses we offer here at the Nasau Centre, some of you can always return to learn other trades that go together with carpentry like plumbing, electrical studies, cabinet making, panel beating, horticulture, and landscaping, welding and other related programmes. The Ministry is also working to get more accredited trainers for such courses for the benefit of Fijian youths and to help our trainees secure better opportunities.
Earlier this month, I was chief guest at the graduation at our Youth Training Centre – Naqere in Savusavu. Three trainees were recruited immediately by the office of the Provincial Administrator Cakaudrove to build houses around Vanua Levu as part of the TC Winston Rehabilitation program. Such is the opportunity that is available for our youth trainees. Similarly, the basic carpentry, week-long training we conducted in partnership with Technical College Fiji, has turned youths instantly into employed carpenters. Youths in Koro, after their training last year, built 80 houses by March. Similarly for youths in the Ra province, as we partner with the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, have started re-building their homes and lives.
The Ministry will innovatively design programs and training that are ‘demand driven’ for the benefits of our youths and our community and economy. We will offer other training to help combat some of the challenges we face like violence against women and children, teenage pregnancies, promoting social cohesion and respect as well as discipline and focus.
I believe our Carpentry trainees will have your exams soon and I wish you all the best. I hope the skills and the training you have acquired will help open new and better opportunities for you in the very near future.
I thank you all again for your efforts in successfully completing this hall. Thanks to everyone for your splendid efforts.
Vinaka vakalevu and thank you all very much.