Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports Maretino Nemani says the International Labour Organisation reported last year that an estimated 33% of youths across the South Pacific are unemployed.
While speaking at the workshop for Professionalizing Youth Work in the Pacific at the USP ICT Centre in Laucala, Nemani says this is a pressing concern as youths of today are just not the future but are very much the present. He also says that part of the problem is inadequate infrastructure including skilled professionals in youth work.
Nemani says to address this particular challenge, the workshop is organized by the USP in partnership with Commonwealth of Learning, Commonwealth Secretariat and the University of the West Indies as part of the Commonwealth Higher Education Consortium for youth work to build capacity and professionalize youth work in the Pacific.
He also says the aim of the workshop is to develop online courses using resources developed by the University of the West Indies and it will be an exciting time for the youths that are participating in this workshop as they are exposed to trends, theories and case studies on youth workers.
It also develops youth workers and gives them an understanding of how to support youth work in the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
