Fiji Commerce and Employers Federation Chief Executive Officer Kameli Batiweti says technical vocational and education training should no longer be seen as the second cousin.

Mr Batiweti said the technical vocational and education training has now become an important body to train highly skilled workers.

Speaking at a post Budget consultation held at Reserve Bank of Fiji in Suva, he said there was a need to train workers for the survival of the private sector.

“As a short term measure, workers would have to come from abroad to fill the vaccum,” he said.

“We need to develop our workers so they can take over the world right now, as everyone is migrating,” Mr Batiweti said.

“Australians are migrating to the U. S, and Europe, while the New Zealanders or Kiwis are migrating to Australia.”

Game Changer

Mr Batiweti said productivity was a game changer.

“Some people interpret productivity as working hard and working longer,” he said.

“For the private sector, we interpret it as working smarter.”

“When you work smarter, you in- corporate efficient principles into the organisation.”

“When the organisation becomes more efficient, and makes more profit, it is able to invest into capital expenditure invest.”

“More importantly, it means that the company can pay their employees a lot more wages and salaries, so that we start to move away from the minimum wage discussion.”

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