Japan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) are launching a major study which highlights the importance of expanding regional technical and vocational education and training programs in the Pacific Islands.

The study, Skilling the Pacific, shows that a lack of skills development in the Pacific Islands has imposed significant constraints on income raising opportunities and private sector development in the region. It also shows that women and girls are the most disadvantaged in terms of access to technical and vocational education and training. In general, opportunities for developing technical and vocational skills are only available to a minority of those who enter the labor market, perhaps between 5%-20% at most.

"Development of skills is an area of great concern in the Pacific, and is a key element in helping combat the youth unemployment problem which is endemic in the region," says ADB Education Specialist Kiyoshi Nakamitsu.

The study analyzes supply and demand for vocational skills, develops responsive and effective country and regional strategies for skills development, and identifies investments needed to implement these strategies.

"It is particularly relevant given the current interest in labor mobility and the urgent need for increased numbers of skilled workers. The recommendations for reform it offers could lead to significant improvements in the skills development area regionally," says Helen Tavola, Social Policy Adviser of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the implementing organization for the study.

For traditional occupations, males tend to dominate skills training, monopolizing technical and trades skills. Women are found almost exclusively in home-oriented courses such as cooking and sewing, and make up a minority of overall enrollments in technical and vocational training. In Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for example, they typically make up just 20-30% of enrollments.

The study was funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan Special Fund, and was produced under an ADB technical assistance project following extensive local consultations with people from 13 Pacific countries. ADB, 19/08/08.