Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Hon. Professor Biman Prasad was briefed on the important role that the Naleba Youth Training Centre is playing.
The Centre is providing much needed training to the youths of nine clusters of communities from the three provinces of Vanua Levu.
It currently has 32 youths enrolled who are undertaking Certificate Level 4 in Organic Agriculture.
This Certificate Qualification provides the youths hands on training on vegetable farming, nursery management, liquid organic manure bi-product, bio-gas generation, composting along with livestock farming of Tilapia, layer birds and piggery.
The training centre also supports in facilitating trainings under its short courses for in the following areas:
- Weaving and Screen Painting
- ports Development – Referring Level 1
- Financial Literacy
- Cadet; and
- Drug awareness
Professor Prasad while acknowledging the Centre for delivering the much-needed trainings was also delighted to witness the determination of the students hailing from far rural and remote villages and communities.
He empathised Governments focus referencing the New National Development Plan under ‘Chapter 1: Cross cutting priorities with the focus: People and Community Empowerment’ where NDP encourages, and supports plans and programs conceptualised at community level including areas of poverty eradication, provision of basic amenities, creation of economic opportunities, social enterprises, women, youth, and child development, and those relating to improving their livelihood and quality of life.
He also had the opportunity to hear about the challenges the Centre faces in terms of transportation, aged infrastructure and equipment, need for boarding facilities and transport to enable the Centre deliver trainings to the current and many other youths from the rural and remote communities and villages.
