Education to Fiji

(Last updated: 25 Aug 2008)

Trends and opportunities

The market

Fiji is the regional education hub for many of the South Pacific islands. The University of the South Pacific and the Fiji School of Medicine are good examples.

The education framework in Fiji consists of pre-school, primary, secondary and higher education. There is compulsory and free education from primary to completion of secondary level or up to Year 12. Schools from pre-school to secondary are mostly managed by either the government, religion (Catholic, Methodist, Sabha or Muslim) or provinces.

There are also two main private schools – Yat Sen which caters primarily for the Chinese community and the International School of Suva and Nadi which caters primarily for the expatriate population and delivers a curriculum closely aligned with Australia/New Zealand.

Some vocational training is delivered during secondary level (Year 9 – Year 12) to equip students before entering higher education. 

Higher education is offered at technical institutes and is structured around two-year Diploma programs. There are also the professional degrees, which are four or five year programs relevant to certain disciplines.

There are two universities in Fiji:

• The University of the South Pacific (USP) based in Suva owned jointly by the Pacific Country Forum members.
• The University of Fiji based recently established in 2004 and based in Lautoka.

There are also two main vocational training centres:

• The Training & Productivity Authority (TPAF) of Fiji with five campuses. TPAF are a government authority.
• The Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT) with four campuses.

TPAF and FIT are seen to be expanding the range of training they offer as they work with accredited education providers from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Japan, Korea, and USA.

TPAF is also the administrative body for a mandatory local employer contribution per employee that goes to subsiding the cost of vocational training in Fiji. Vocational providers approach TPAF for ‘grant claimable’ approval which allows the course provider to offer grants/subsidised training to companies whose employees participate on approved courses (up to 100 per cent reimbursement of course costs).

Recently established in Nadi is the Australia-Pacific Technical College, an Australian government initiative to provide training opportunities in the Pacific region in automotive, manufacturing, construction and electrical, tourism and hospitality.

The University of Southern Queensland has a local presence offering distance learning courses with a joint venture partner. The Institute of Technology Australia (IOTA) has a local campus in Suva.

FIT offers through the University of Newcastle an in-country TVET teacher education at degree level. The program is developed to upgrade knowledge, skills and qualification of teachers and trainers in the teaching of technical and vocational education in secondary schools.

Opportunities

There are opportunities in Fiji to form institutional linkages with Australian institutes to offer courses in demand locally which could include: specialist work based skills such as warehousing, merchandising, butcher training, procurement, tourism, etc. 

Also in demand are middle management courses such as performance management, business planning/strategy, succession planning, etc. These courses are frequently requested and there are a handful of local providers that offers this type of training on a short-term basis.

There is also interest by graduating secondary students and mature age employees in travelling overseas to complete or continue their studies. Predominantly most applicants are heading to New Zealand to study, however, there are Australian tertiary providers as well.

Finally, there are also opportunities to tap into the scholarship programs offered by AusAID and the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs which are seen to support future growth sectors by the government.

Competitive environment

Australia’s main competition comes from New Zealand, UK, Japan (scholarships) and USA.

Australia’s close proximity to Fiji appears to be an attractive feature with its learning environment and systems that are seen to deliver both quality teaching and support to students. 

With its diverse and multicultural background, Australia is perceived as an attractive and safe destination where one can complete their education with less hassle and bring up a young family with a solid supporting system.

Marketing your products and services

Market entry

Austrade Suva has an active education strategy thus we recommend that you make Austrade your first stop for anyone looking to offer training in Fiji or looking to entice Fiji students to study in Australia. For anyone looking for a partner institute in Fiji, Austrade can provide the service to match make your program with a local institution.

Austrade Suva is also planning to hold a Study in Australia road show in Fiji in 2009 for any interested institute looking to recruit students from Fiji.

It is recommended that education providers consider the following market entry strategies available to institutes or training providers that wish to enter the education sector in Fiji:

• Work with a current institute in Fiji on a joint venture arrangement – some institutes are working with TAFE or Industry Associations in Australia to deliver education content locally.
• Provide in-house training for large corporation and organisations – some organisations have the capacity to offer in-house as they have a large number of potential participants.
• Work with a local agent to market and deliver training in Fiji for the public and the Australian institute to deliver the training. An agent can provide logistic support to attract students, market the training, organise venue and collect fees.
• Appoint an agent and recruit students to study in Australia.
• Join the Austrade Education road show to recruit students directly.