Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Education is an important item on the Government agenda, which aims to make Fiji a knowledge-based society.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is given particular attention in these prescriptions
and is acknowledged as a cornerstone of educational reform and supporting sustainable development. The TVET
sector provides high-quality, internationally recognised training and is based on strong partnerships
between governments, TVET institutions, and industry bodies. In the 2021-2022 budget, the Government has
allocated approximately $1.5 million as tuition grants for students wishing to pursue studies in the TVET
sector.
The TVET sector is regulated by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and guided by the Fiji National
Qualifications Framework (FNQF). The HEC is responsible for ensuring the quality of all training and deals
with recognition and equivalence of technical qualifications. The HEC registers training institutions,
approves courses and accredits training institutions. The quality assurance mechanism allows for
accreditation of the providers of training, which ensures that courses delivered at different levels are
evaluated for high-quality education and training.
TVET can be undertaken in schools, industry, vocational schools, and all TVET providers (including technical
training institutes). Delivery modes include full-time, part-time, online and distance education,
apprenticeships, and traineeships. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australia Pacific Training
Coalition, Fiji National University, and the Higher Education Commission developed the TVET Remote Delivery
in a Crisis: A Guideline for Fiji TVET providers to deliver TVET if a crisis occurs. In consultation with
crucial TVET stakeholders and Fiji government ministries, it was formulated primarily on the delivery
experiences of Fiji TVET providers during the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and including a rapid
literature review of relevant experiences from other developing countries.