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'Caregiver Training' Possible Boost For Solomons

Wednesday: March 26, 2008

(Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat)

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is to develop a caregiver training program for Solomon Islands as a pilot scheme on Temporary Labor Mobility after the Government in Honiara approved a pre-feasibility study done on the program.

“The pre-feasibility study was the result of the Solomon Islands Governments’ request for the Forum Secretariat to explore employment opportunities for its youth as a means to assist in the country’s economic recovery,” says Peter Forau, Deputy Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat.

The study provides an assessment of the costs and benefits for such a scheme for Solomon Islanders in terms of their possible employment in Canada.

The study has recently been approved by the Solomon Islands Government, which now enables a pilot scheme to be developed initially for Solomon Islands.

“The pilot scheme will aim to provide training for qualified care-givers to access employment in the Canadian-aged-care market in partnership with established caregiver recruitment agencies,” says Mr Forau.

“Depending on how the pilot scheme fares, it may be possible to develop a broad based scheme to cover other interested Forum Island countries.”

Using the pre-feasibility study, the Forum Secretariat will now seek funding from potential donors or stakeholders for the pilot project to take off at the Seventh Day Adventist Nursing College at Atoifi in east Malaita, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands.

The initiative is in line with the aims of the Pacific Plan initiatives in the areas of economic governance, trade and labor mobility.