CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

Vocational and Professional Training, University of the South Pacific,  2013. Contracted by the Pacific Regional Centre for Continuing and Community Education (RCCCE) to deliver programs and short courses for employers and employees. Targeted at people in the workforce for upskilling, reskilling and multiskilling for continuous professional development. Professional programs include the Diploma in Business Leadership and the Certificate in Project Management. Short courses include Hospitality and Tourism, Sales and Marketing, Human Resource Management and Train the Trainer.

Sessional Lecturer and Unit Co-ordinator, University of Fiji, 2011 to 2013. Contracted on a semester basis to develop, co-ordinate, teach and administrate the MBA units for Marketing Management, Tourism Marketing and Events and Festival Management.

Technical Training Adviser, Fiji National University, 2010. Invited by the University to assist in the development of eight tourism units as a major stream in their B.Comm. Also assisted with the development of workshops and seminars for industry and government employees.

Business Development Training Program, ‘Great Suva Tours’, Fiji, 2009. Initially funded through the   Ministry of Youth as part of the National Youth Support Scheme (NYSS), STIL acted as the project manager and co-ordinator. Youth were recruited and trained to be self-employed as travel product developers, tour guides, transport operators, tourism marketers and SME suppliers. Linking in with established village tourism products (attractions, tours, eco-lodges) throughout the main island of Viti Levu.

Community Education for Ecotourism, University of the South Pacific, Fiji, 2007/2008. Project Manager to develop an eight unit Ecotourism Business Operators Course and a six unit Village Environmental Rangers Program for the South Pacific Regional Community and Continuing Education Centre. Courses were developed and trialled in local villages and are now being delivered to the 15 Pacific Island participating countries.

Community Tourism Training Business Plan , Fiji, 2006/07. Project Consultant for this EU/CDE funded project to develop a full business plan with concept, curriculum, staffing schedules, timetables, course marketing, equipment, resource materials, capital costs and operating budget. Training targeted at community tourism operators and local villagers.

Work Bridge Fiji Training Program, Fiji, 2007. A privately funded employment preparation, coaching and mentoring program aimed at school leavers, university graduates and longer term unemployed. Series of seminars focus on; assessment of resumes, job interview techniques and critiques, business networking opportunities, and work placements.

Counterpart Training for Staff in National Tourism Organisations, Samoa , Tonga , St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 1991 to 2003. While contracted as the Tourism Adviser by the Commonwealth Secretariat (UK) to the above developing countries, I undertook counterpart training for selected professional staff within each of the National Tourism Organisations. These were ongoing, day to day mentoring sessions, teaching project management skills and ensuring the staff networked with industry operators, village communities and other government departments.

Sessional Lecturer in Tourism Studies, Australia and Tonga (1999 to 2001, 2004). Lectured mainly in Tourism Planning and Development subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Contracted on a semester basis by the Universities of Victoria, Ballarat, Monash and RMIT, all in Australia , and University of the South Pacific, Tonga .

Key Tourism Research Centre, Victoria University , Australia . (1999). Commissioned by the University to undertake market research and analysis of targeted private and public sector companies and organisations to establish co-operative funding opportunities for a key research centre in the hospitality and tourism industry sectors.

National Tourism Training and Education Program , St.Vincent and the Grenadines (1997). Project Manager to develop a National Program for community awareness programs, hospitality skills training courses and tourism management seminars for industry operators and development of a tourism curriculum in all schools. Consultations with schools, churches, community groups and industry operators. Presented report to Cabinet. Produced a local TV series on tourism employment opportunities.

Western Samoa Polytechnic Tourism Diploma (1994). Developed course curriculum for Business Diploma in Tourism and assisted in the recruitment of program co-ordinator and support staff.

Marketing Strategy Training Seminars, Polynesia Airlines, Samoa (1993). Developed and delivered a one week training program for the senior management from head office and regional overseas offices. Advised on the development of a marketing strategy, the market re-positioning of the airline and management issues raised during the sessions.

Travel Managers Training Program , Australia (1991). Series of seminars conducted for the Australian Travel Agents Qualification scheme. Topics included Travel Compensation Fund, Insurance/Liability, Franchising, Industrial Relations and Agent/Principal Obligations.

Study on Tourism Training Needs, Solomon Islands (1991). Project Consultant for this AusAid funded project. Analysis of tourism training needs for the Solomon Islands tourism industry. Broad consultations with government, industry and other stakeholders. A pre-feasibility report for a proposed Tourism Training Centre was presented.

Tourism Course Accreditation, Melbourne , Australia (1990). Research and drafting of Holmes College Travel and Tourism Course Accreditation document for the Australian Travel Training Review Panel.

Monash University Tourism Course Development, Victoria , Australia (1990). Project Manager for curriculum development of a post-graduate Tourism degree course in distance education at Monash Gippsland campus. Comprehensive and extensive market research of education and training needs in the tourism industry. Included the drafting of all subject outlines, bibliographies and collation of course readings and resource materials.

Ballarat University Tourism Course Development , Victoria , Australia (1989). Project Manager to undertake market research and analysis of all Australian Tourism Education Courses. This involved a skills and job role needs survey of tourism industry executives and curriculum development of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in tourism studies.

South Asia Training in Tourism Planning, 10 countries (1988). As an in-house consultant with UNWTO I assisted with the project design and management. Selection, recruitment and mobilisation of the consultancy team and evaluation of their reports.