The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and the Pacific Community (SPC) virtually signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Friday 24 April 2020, which supports greater productivity and inclusion for the Pacific workforce.
Through this collaboration, both organisations will focus on areas identified as having the greatest potential impact for all Pacific workers, including: joint action and support for gender equality, empowerment of people living with a disability, development of skills for economic growth and employment, adaptation tools for climate resilience and infrastructure, and improved data management and analysis.
By pooling their resources and expertise, SPC and APTC hope to better frame and coordinate regional assistance to Pacific countries, improve division of labour in targeted sectors, align and measure regional support towards national level outcomes, and build effective partnerships in support of regional policy and strategic priorities.
SPC’s Deputy Director-General, Dr Audrey Aumua, noted the significance of partnership saying, “The strength of the Pacific can be found in its people. With the right opportunity and the right training, this region’s workforce can be world leaders. Through the MOU, the Pacific Community and APTC are making a significant commitment to the future of our region.”
The agreement recognises the unique and complimentary roles of APTC and SPC in supporting empowerment of Pacific communities and stresses the importance of sharing expertise and skills between countries and territories, while supporting national and regional development priorities.
APTC CEO, Soli Middleby said, “A skilled, inclusive and productive workforce enhances Pacific prosperity and we are happy to work with SPC in supporting the delivery of regional assistance. This means that countries will have more effective support for achieving their workforce development priorities and in turn contributing to Pacific prosperity. In these uncertain times, collaboration and skills for employment more critical than ever.”
The formal collaboration will be in place until 30 June 2022. Both organisations are currently exploring options for the first actions under the MOU, expecting to build on a range of work including supporting training delivery quality assurance and audit capacity, developing training for Emergency Management professionals, and scoping for the Pacific Skills Portal.