This program was developed by the ILO in 1997 following a request from the government.

It is a long term strategy to combat employment issues. The programme has brought together collective efforts of all Government ministries, employers', workers' organizations to address unemployment issues holistically:

1. creating and enabling environment for investment

2. creating jobs through direct interventions both in formal and informal sectors, rural and

urban areas
3. making jobs sustainable through skill development and encouraging self-employment

The programme consists of seven sub-programmes:

• Policy and coordination of an integrate approach for employment promotion;
• Eco-tourism development;
• Small and micro-enterprises development;
• Cooperatives development;
• Human Resource Development for hotel and tourism;
• Advanced vocational training; and
• Labour administration and productivity improvement.

To develop the model the programme has identified the Sigatoka area to implement the seven sub-programmes for replication in other parts of the country. A declaration on the creation of unemployment free zone in the Sigatoka area was made. To date the programme has managed to provide skills training to over 7000 people and jobs to over 3000 of them.

To provide policy and coordination among the stakeholders, a tripartite PEAK Body consisting of 15 Ministers and representatives of the employers' and workers' organization was formed in the year 2000.

A second meeting of the tripartite PEAK Body was held on the 24th of July 2003 after a field visit of the Sigatoka Pilot area on the 23rd of July 2003 where the extension and replication of the Sigatoka Pilot project was agreed upon.

The Programme is managed by Policy and Coordination Programme Manager Mr. Josefa Serulagilagi who is based at the Ministry of National Planning. His primary role is to coordinate among the sub-programme Managers of the host Ministries and to report the progress of the programme to the ILO and other stakeholders. More on this...