Several firms have temporarily suspended apprenticeship intake from the Fiji National University while waiting for restrictions to be lifted so operations can gradually return to normal.
National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) director Dr Isimeli Tagicakiverata said the staff at the centre had been putting in extra effort since the first wave of COVID-19 last year.
Despite these challenges, 21 apprentices from the FNU’s NTPC had been recruited for employment by various business organisations in July, the highest recruitment made in a month so far this year, the FNU said in a statement.
According to FNU’s National Apprenticeship and Trade Test Manager Alvin Lal, the recruitment links directly to the organisations increasing output as the country prepares to open up the borders.
“This is a positive indication of the economy recovering as employers proceeded towards hiring new apprentices in various trade areas,” said Mr Lal.
The NTPC has facilitated a total of 29 requests from organisations to provide quality apprentices since the beginning of the year.
Last month, the Fiji Sugar Corporation hired 19 apprentices, comprising of four welding and fabricating apprentices, six electrical fitter mechanic apprentices, and three fitting and machinists.
Carpenters Motors, Energy Fiji Limited, Natural Waters Viti Limited, Lincoln Refrigeration Pte Limited, Goodman Fielder International, and Bluescope are some of the other registered employers that have hired new apprentices this year.
“Our team visited several firms in the central, western, and northern divisions at the beginning of the year and received overwhelmingly positive feedback on apprenticeship training. We received around 150 apprentice recruitment requests in the first quarter of 2021.
“Many organisations had advertised and finalised their selections, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they opted to postpone the recruitment,” he added.
