The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Pacific TAFE is an integrated learning and teaching section that offers high-quality Skills Based Qualifications (SBQs), Foundation and Preliminary studies. The programmes provide employment opportunities at entry and para-professional levels, pathways for higher studies at USP where approved, and career advancement for working people.
Our Pacific TAFE programme has benefited hundreds of students looking to re-skill or upskill themselves over the years.
One such student is Ivamere Elekeleya who graduated with a Diploma in Early Childhood Education Level 5, realising her dream of becoming a teacher and eventually providing for her family.
Ms Elekelya said that the need to support their four children was the turning point in her life, prompting her to seek another career pathway with USP Pacific TAFE.
“During this transitional period, USP Pacific TAFE was a tremendous beacon of help through the facilitators support and word of encouragement. It enabled me to overcome the daily challenges that I encountered such as poor internet connectivity, scarce transportation, and limited financial resources,” Ms Elekeleya said.
She added that “to make ends meet, my husband and I would leave home at 5am every Saturday morning. We would travel on horseback with some crops to catch the only transport at the main road in the highlands of Sigatoka. Selling crops at the market in Lautoka was our only source of income then.”
“I was very emotional during the graduation ceremony after receiving my Diploma in Early Childhood Education Level 5 when I recalled my family’s recent experience and how my facilitators helped me to achieve my first qualification,” she said.
Ms Elekeleya said she “will always be grateful to USP’s Pacific TAFE for helping me achieve my dream in becoming a teacher.”
Twenty-six of the USP Pacific TAFE qualifications have been externally accredited on the Fiji Qualifications Framework (FQF) by Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) and these also appear on Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards (PRQS).
Meanwhile, the Pacific TAFE Partial Scholarship is open to students wishing to pursue further education, upskill or re-skill.
Under the scholarship, Pacific TAFE will cover 50 percent tuition cost and depending on prioritization, assistance may be revised to any amount without being advertised and is available for one member per family, either between siblings or between children and parents.
Those interested in applying for the scholarship must provide verified evidence of family income of no more than FJD 25,000 per year and in any absence of evidence, a Statutory Declaration must be submitted.
For more information, visit www.usp.ac.fj/pacific-tafe
USP’s admissions are now open. New applicants or those resuming studies can now apply for admission for Semester 1, 2023. For more information or academic counselling, visit a USP Campus near you or contact Student Administrative Services at asksas@usp.ac.fj
