Bula Vinaka, Namaste and greetings to all members of the FNU family.
I hope everyone is keeping safe and well, and observing the public health advice and restrictions which are there to protect us, our communities and our loved ones.
Last Friday we hosted the 22nd Fiji Business Excellence Awards (FBEA) at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva. It was a spectacular event where we had the pleasure of His Excellency The President of the Republic of Fiji, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere who was the Chief Guest accompanied by the Madam First Lady. Also, in attendance at the event was leaders from both the private and public sector, productivity practitioners who all had a wonderful time. 11 organisations were recognised in various categories and there was a special Asian Productivity Organisation Award which was presented to the Minister for Infrastructure, Meteorological Services, Lands and Mineral Resources Honourable Jone Usamate for being a productivity champion. The full list of winners are as follows:
- Commitment to Business Excellence
CRP Industries Pte Ltd and Roofing & Profiles (Fiji) Pte Ltd - Achievement in Business Excellence
Biosecurity Authority of Fiji; Manubhai Industries Pte Ltd; Ajax Spurway Fasteners PTE Limited; Sugar Cane Growers Fund and R. C. Manubhai & Co. Pte Ltd - Fiji Business Excellence Prize
Office of the Auditor General and Post Fiji Pte Limited - President’s Business Excellence Award
Future Farms Limited t/a Rooster Poultry and iTaukei Land Trust Board
I would like to congratulate all the winners, those who have been part of the Excellence journey as well as those who have been operating through this difficult period. The past two years have been challenging for everyone including the business community given the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have had to re-look at our business plans, become prudent with our spending, adopt smart ways of staying competitive, relevant and meeting or exceeding clients expectations.
Also last week I was happy to host Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Schipp. We toured the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF) Koronivia Campus including our training livestock farm. The discussions were fruitful and we are optimistic about increasing our collaboration with our Australian counterparts under the Commonwealth Biosecurity 2030 strategic roadmap. We have had a close working partnership with Australian agencies and universities and we look forward to strengthening this in the New Year.
I would like to remind everyone that applications for Semester 1, 2022 at FNU is now open. Students can select either a Higher Education (HE) or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. You can visit www.fnu.ac.fj to view the programmes on offer and start your applications process. FNU is offering reskilling and upskilling courses free of charge to interested students who meet the criteria, thanks to a 1 million dollar grant from the Fijian Government. These courses are designed to reskill and upskill those who have lost their jobs due to the economic impact of the pandemic, and prepare them for new jobs and successful careers in the same or different industries. The first round of twenty-five short courses will be offered in January 2022. Applications for these places close on 22 December. We also have 5000 placements for TVET programmes available to Fijian students funded through the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service (TSLS). So there are lots of study options available to students and I encourage everyone to make the best use of this opportunity.
I know staff and students are making plans to spend the Christmas holidays with family and friends. I would like to thank everyone for your hard work and commitment shown over the past 12 months and I wish you all a safe and relaxing break. Finally, I would like to remind everyone to not let their guard down as we have seen last week the announcement of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. So keep washing your hands regularly with soap and water, wear face-covering when going out, keep your 2-metre distance and use alcohol based sanitiser when wiping your hands.
Have a productive week and keep safe. Thank you.
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Dr. William May
Acting Vice-Chancellor
Fiji National University