Praneeta Prakash 
Pacific Polytech has set its sights on addressing the nation’s growing skills shortage by targeting unskilled youth.
Polytech Council Chair Dr. Ganesh Chand says their focus is on equipping young people with the necessary skills to fill the gap created by Fijian workers who have emigrated.
He says they are focusing on providing unskilled youth with opportunities to enter the workforce and contribute to economic growth.
“Now you see skills being developed in all areas, in all trades. Now of course a lot of people are of people are rushing into this but we have changed the landscape of skill training sector in the country and we intend to continue with that.”
Dr Chand says a lot more needs to be done.
“There are about 60,000 unskilled youth, already out in the country. They need to be trained. Now they can’t get a degree, their vocation is skills, various types of skills from hard skills to soft skills and we have programs for all of that.”
He says they are well-positioned to play a critical role in addressing Fiji’s skills gap and fostering a more robust and competitive workforce.
