The government is focused on enhancing technical and vocational education, according to the Minister for Education, Aseri Radrodro. Speaking at the TSLS Principals, Careers Teachers, and Student Representative Workshop, Radrodro highlighted the importance of skills qualification scholarships and competency-based training to achieve this goal.
To address the skills labor shortage, the government is targeting unemployed youth who are early school dropouts, offering them a month of competency training in fields such as construction, tourism, hospitality, automotive, white goods repair, and essential micro business training in bookkeeping and marketing.
Radrodro affirmed the government’s commitment to increasing access to post-secondary education in line with Sustainable Development Goal four, which advocates for quality and inclusive education. The national budget reflects this commitment through innovative scholarship and grant policies aimed at eliminating gender disparities and ensuring equal access to education and vocational training for vulnerable populations, including individuals with disabilities and indigenous peoples.
For the 2024-2025 National Budget, an allocation of $150.5 million has been set aside to support 10,830 new students as well as 9,490 existing sponsored students. This funding represents the highest amount ever designated for new intakes in scholarship and grant programs.