The Suva City Council (SCC) has secured an opportunity for its skilled-based employees to attain certification, following the recent establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pacific Polytech (PP).
SCC’s acting chief executive officer, Tevita Boseiwaqa, expressed that this agreement will aid staff in enhancing their qualifications. “Most of our staff engage in skill-based work and require this, affecting over 200 employees,” he noted.
He emphasized that the MoU will impact three-quarters of the workforce, seeing it as a pivotal step towards a multi-level and multi-skilled approach for staff development. SCC plans to undertake a training needs analysis to pinpoint specific areas for staff development, which will facilitate exposing them to various skills.
“Being multi-skilled provides employees with a stronger growth platform, as opposed to being confined to a single specialization,” Boseiwaqa added.
Peni Taoi, founding director of PP, welcomed the agreement, highlighting that this MoU complements similar agreements reached with the Labasa and Nasinu Town Councils, which provide analogous benefits to their employees. “Pacific Polytech focuses on technical training and upskilling in response to available opportunities,” Taoi stated. “This marks my third MoU with the councils, after those in Labasa and Nasinu.”