Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched the Pacific Australia Skills Fiji programme and officially opened the Vuvale Skills Hub in Suva, describing education and skills training as central to strengthening Fiji’s economy and creating new opportunities across the Pacific. “Education changes lives. And Australia is changing lives here in Fiji,” Albanese said.
“Today we launched a new program, training local students in skills that will boost the economy. We’re creating more opportunities for the Pacific, because when our region succeeds Australia does too.”
The launch formed part of Albanese’s official visit to Fiji, during which he and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka signed the landmark Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance treaties, deepening cooperation on security, economic development and people-to-people links.
Speaking at the launch, Albanese said investment in education and vocational training would underpin the new partnership. “The best investment any nation can make is in its people,” he said.
“That is why investment in education and skills are a foundational part of the Vuvale Union that Prime Minister Rabuka and I signed this morning.”
Under the Pacific Australia Skills programme, Australia and Fiji will establish Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centres of Excellence in Suva to equip Fijians with skills needed in emerging industries and support the country’s ambition to become a regional leader in the digital economy.
Australia has also committed funding through the Vuvale Union to support Fiji’s digital transformation and to help develop the country’s maritime workforce, including its ambition to become a Pacific hub for ship maintenance and repair.
Albanese said the initiative builds on two decades of Australian support for skills development in Fiji, during which thousands of Fijians have gained qualifications and advanced their careers. “Technology is rapidly changing the world of work, with new opportunities emerging every day across our region,” he said.
“Australia’s partnership with Fiji will help us navigate these changes together, to create more opportunities and brighter futures for our people.”
The launch followed the signing of two historic bilateral treaties in Suva, including the Ocean of Peace Alliance, Fiji’s first mutual defence treaty, and the Vuvale Union, a comprehensive agreement covering security, education, infrastructure, climate resilience and economic cooperation.
The Australian Government says the skills programme and the refurbished Vuvale Skills Hub will play a key role in strengthening workforce capability, supporting economic growth and expanding opportunities for young people across Fiji and the wider Pacific.
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