THE Fiji National University will provide $3million to boost National Employment Centre in training unemployed people with skills in order to be marketable in the labour market here and abroad.
A Memorandum of Understanding between NEC and the university was signed at the FNU headquarters in Nasinu yesterday.
NEC Board chairman and Ministry of Labour permanent secretary Taito Waqa and FNU vice chancellor Dr Ganesh Chand signed the strategically important assistance documents.
Dr Chand explained details of this important assistance.
“The $3million will be paid in yearly installment of $1million to the NEC beginning this year,” Dr Chand said.
“The $3million is the contribution from employers to the former TPAF, in which employers are legislated to contribute 1 per cent of the salary to a fund for training.”
Dr Chand said the director general of the former TPAF Mr Jone Usamate had agreed on the funding arrangement, which now had come under FNU and it was the responsibility of FNU to sign the agreement to boost the activities of NEC.
Mr Waqa emphasised the importance of this funding assistance to the NEC.
“NEC is being tasked by Government to reduce the unemployment rate from 8.6 per cent to 4.2 per cent and the assistance by TPAF will significantly boost resources of NEC,” Mr Waqa said.
“Government has allocated $1million to NEC from the Budget and the $1 million from FNU this year will double the budget to $2million.
“That is why it is a very significant contribution.”
Mr Waqa thanked FNU and employers for this generous assistance and good will, which would benefit the unemployed and boost Fiji’s economy.