Improving tertiary education in the country is the University of the South Pacific’s priority.

Twenty four technical, vocational education and training (TVET) participants and twelve partner institutions from nine Pacific countries are part of a four-day regional workshop.

USP Pacific TAFE’s director Hasmukh Lal said the purpose of the workshop was to bring educationists from around the region to learn how to effectively make education accessible and affordable for all Pacific Islanders through the use of Open Educational Resources (OER).

This is facilitated by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), an intergovernmental organisation created by the Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote the development of sharing open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.

The Pacific Centre for Flexible and Open Learning for Development (PACFOLD) is co-facilitating the workshop.

The workshop is focused on using Open Educational Resources by TVET Course Designers to design high quality courses.

“Participants will learn how to adapt up to date relevant information, contextualise these adaptations and use them in their course design content to create a learning environment that is conducive to the 21st century skills and knowledge,” Mr Lal said.

Pacific TAFE had achieved Registered Training Organisation (RTO) status with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) whereby Pacific TAFE can deliver qualifications accredited with the globally recognized Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

USP Vice Chancellor Flexible Learning Professor Som Naidu and USP Teaching, Learning and Student Services Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Richard Coll were chief guests at the event.

The workshop began yesterday at the USP Pacific TAFE’s Workforce Development Training Unit in Walu Bay, Suva.