The Public Service Commission today signed a working partnership with the Westpac bank to conduct a Retiree’s Expo to provide information on products relating to retirement.
The expo will be held on the 22nd of September at the Tebara Complex in Nakasi and is aimed at promoting the PSC’s Fiji Volunteer Service, creating awareness in Fiji communities about savings for retirement while promoting Westpac products and services to retirees and pre-retirees.
Public Service Commission permanent secretary Mr Parmesh Chand said the expo would largely promote the PSC’s Volunteer Scheme under the National Employment Centre Decree and focus on experienced people and retirees who can contribute back to the community and impart skills and knowledge they have gained through various means.
“Even though we have very good reasons for having the retirement age at 55, we see a lot more opportunities for people who do retire from public service at that age who have a lot more to offer to the community and who can mentor other people to take on from there.”
Mr Chand added that the volunteer scheme provides for a certain level of remuneration or compensation for those coming on board but the challenge was to reach out to people who return to their villages after retirement.
“We found it a challenge to reach out to these people who go back to their villages and homes after retirement and linking up with Westpac will enable us to reach out to the deeper areas of the community.”
Mr Chand said the partnership between PSC and Westpac is beneficial as Westpac is already involved in this area.
“We saw Westpac already involved in this area and therefore PSC will draw on the experiences and the network of Westpac to reach out to the broader community about some of the products and services both parties have to offer,” Mr. Chand said.
Westpac Fiji General Manager, Adrian Hughes said that planning for the future and retirement is a critical aspect of any person’s life.
“Holding such an expo in Fiji is critical to ensuring that people think about what they want to do during retirement and what they need to have to ensure that retirement is a time of peace of mind and employment,” Mr. Hughes said.
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