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The Pacific island nation of Kiribati is leading efforts to establish a regional employment hub for technical and vocational employment opportunities in the region.
The initiative, which is in line with Kiribati’s “migration with dignity” policy for climate change, is aimed to address employment issues in Kiribati and other Pacific island countries.
The country led initiative was introduced during the Smaller Islands States Leaders Meeting prior to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in the Marshall Islands in early September.
In speaking to the media, President Tong says Kiribati has a huge population with a large proportion of young people, so unemployment is a big problem.
The President expressed that Kiribati has to be realistic as the country does not have the economic base to be able to employ everyone, but over the years, the government has been looking for access to the international labor market.
Such as the Australia-Pacific Technical College, which started in 2005, he says arming his people with skills goes along with the “migration with dignity” policy “because you get people skilled you won’t need to find somewhere for them to go, they will find themselves a place to go, because they will be marketable.”
He says he always regarded that as part of the climate change solution.
“It’s a painless way and it’s mutually beneficial”, says the President.