Keeping the wheels turning
p. 21 · Read in the full issue
ONE of the problems faced by Forum Island Countries (as developing na tions) is how to build and maintain a workforce capable of keeping the ma chinery of government and the commer cial wheel of the private sector function ing at all times.
Each year, thousands of school leavers say goodbye to the four walls of their classrooms to join their peers in paid employment. For many they may never see the inside of a classroom again.
This is where the Forum Secretariat comes in.
Each year the secretariat sponsor more than 50 people from Forum Island Countries through its fellowship scheme one of three administered by the secretariat’s Economic Development Division.
Training is provided under this
scheme in a wide range of fields. Fellowships were awarded to beneficiaries from 11 Forum Island Countries with training provided in development banking, port administration, medical and a wide range of other private sector ventures.
Under the fellowship scheme, emphasis is on practical training in a bid to address the shortage of skilled manpower in island member states.
As of last year, the scheme has been extended to member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen the relationship between the Forum Secretariat and the ASEAN Secretariat.
This means that candidates from Forum Island Countries whose governments have endorsed their application can now be on attachment in an Asian country.
This is not the end of the good news. With funding from France through the Forum Secretariat this year, training attachments have now also been extended to the French territories in the South Pacific.
The fellowship provides the candidate with a return economy class airline ticket, course expenses and a daily living allowance.
The fellowship scheme is largely funded by Australia and New Zealand.
The Forum Secretariat’s Short Term Advisory Service (STAS) is another of the schemes administered by the Secretariat.
It operates in much the same way except that STAS is designed to offer the technical expertise needed by Forum Island Countries.
Under STAS, experts are sent to Forum Island Countries for short term periods of up to six weeks, depending on the type of consultancy being undertaken.
Established in 1979, STAS was initially funded by ESCAP/ UNDP as an aid to economic development of all Forum Island Countries. It now primarily funded by Australia.
Most, if not all, Forum Island Countries have benefitted from this scheme. For instance, in 1991 major studies on a wide range of subjects funded by STAS were undertaken in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
In fact, consultancies undertaken during the last decade ranged from plant pests control, wood fuel, petroleum purchasing to fisheries, copra research and so on.
As is the case in the Fellowship Scheme, the Forum Secretariat picks up the cost of hiring the consultant, economy class return airfare and other incidental costs on the
production of a report to both the requesting member government and the secretariat.
These must be accompanied by as much information as possible, full terms of reference for service re quired, urgency of the project, esti mated time required and the name of the consultant, if one is already identified, his curriculum vitae and other details.
The third scheme is the Industrial
Development & Training Project
(IDTP), administered by the secret ariat’s Trade & Investment Division.
Industrial Development & Train ing Project is the newest and compli ments the fellowship, STAS and the Marketing Support Fund. In the eight months of its existence, up to 10 projects ranging from advisory ser
vices to industrial training attachments outside Forum Island Countries have been organised and funded for island member governments.
IDTP has been established in recognition of the difficulties faced by enterprises in such areas as industrial technical know-how and development skills in Forum Island Countries.
It provides short-term advisory services and training assistance specifically designed for industrial enterprises engaged in manufacturing and processing activities.
The IDTP is intended for businessmen from Forum Island Countries who need technical guidance and assistance in establishing and managing new manufacturing and process ing enterprises. Established businesses in these categories can get advisory and technical assistance under the scheme to manage their business or to develop new products.
Experts will be made available for up to six weeks to provide, among other things, hands-on advisory services and training assistance to industries in all relevant areas of
manufacturing and processing operations. Through IDTP,
the secretariat provides funding to cover return economy airfares and other contractual obligations.
On-the-job industrial training attachments within the Forum region is also on offer, with funding for return economy airfares with adequate living allowance.
Intending candidates seeking assistance under any of these schemes must first write to their local secretary of foreign affairs department, seeking his endorsement.
This must be accompanied by as much information as possible including background details of the enterprise(s), types of assistance required, objectives and scope of assistance and full terms of reference for services required.
If the assistance being sought is for advisory services, then I the Secretariat would require the name of the preferred expert, his/her curriculum vitae and other relevant details.
For attachments, details of the preferred place of training, if any, estimated costs and the duration of the proposed
training would be required.
The secretary who the Forum Secretariat designated “the Official Contact” then sends the application to the secretariat in Suva with a letter endorsing the proposed training or in some cases ask the secretariat to find appropriate attach- I ments.
In most cases, approval is made within weeks of receiving
the applications.
Well, it’s up to you. Your secretariat is waiting to help.
We’ll get you there, if you are serious about yourself, businesses or your country projects. □