FIJI Water to work with FNU to set up career centre in Suva

A career centre has been proposed to counter labour shortage in the country.

An initiative ofNatural Waters of Viti Pte Limited -the makers of FIJI Water-it will mirror its California-based model, said assistant general counsel South Pacific, Marigold Moody.

Speaking at the Top Executives Conference 2024 (TO PEX2024) at Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa in Denarau, she said the special project was an investment in Fiji.

"I look after special projects, and these include all kinds of strange things that broadly support our businesses in Fiji," Ms Woody said.

"One of these special projects which are in progress is our proposed Career Centre and investing in Fiji's workforce through skills development."

FIJI Water and NPDL Neptune businesses are under common ownership.

"We have around 11 vessels serving the Pacific," Ms Moody said.

"Again, we have a serious skills shortage in terms of Pacific Island seafarers available and appropriately skilled to operate our vessels."

FIJI Water invested more than FJ$140 million in expanding its capacity by around 47 per cent.

"Over the next 10 years, we're going to build up to utilising that capacity, and we're going to need a lot more people to do that," said Ms Moody.

"We are planning to partner with Fiji National University to establish a career centre in Suva, aiming for 2025.

"There may be some Fiji time; it is work in progress. We have career training and upward mobility that are at the core of our efforts in California, so we already have a whole education team in California supporting our substantial workforce, and creating a skills pipeline for those businesses and also for partner businesses.

"We think our model is slightly different in that what we focus on training people to be job -ready.

"There doesn't seem to be much happening to bridge that gap well.

"We have a team of education specialists who design curricular to meet the needs of businesses so the first thing that we did when we looked at this programme."

Once the project gets off the ground, the programme will be designed to meet employers' needs, she said.

"So be careful when you're writing those in job adverts," Ms Moody said.

"We are going to invite other members of the manufacturing and marine industry to join us in the career centre, which we hope to do through an industry council."

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