$10m EU Grant For USP To Expand Region's HR

$10m EU Grant For USP To Expand Region's Human Resources

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http://www.usp.ac.fj/journ/docs/news/wansolnews/2002/2002march/wansol1303022.html

By NAZIAH ALI: March 13, 2002 Wansolwara Online (USP)

SUVA (Pasifik Nius): The F$10 million grant given to the University of the South Pacific will enhance the region's human resources by expanding the university's delivery of training in public management, tourism and labour studies, says Frans Baan, delegation head of the European Commission for the Pacific.

EU gave almost F$40 million for three financing agreements, including the USP grant, at a signing ceremony at the Forum Secretariat today.

"Today's signing is an eagerly awaited and very happy occasion for USP," said the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rajesh Chandra.

"The agreement we are privileged to sign today is the culmination of a long, stategic process to prepare three major project proposals, which represent critically important areas for USP and the people of the South Pacific Region: tourism, management and labour and employment," he said.

The other grants were for the Fiji School of Medicine infrastructure development project, a reducing vulnerability in the Pacific project with SOPAC and the USP human resource development project.

Prof Chandra said today's agreement would boost three major projects for USP.

This would see the establishment of USP as a centre of excellence in tourism education and research. The establishment of a management and organisational programme would be implemented by the the university's Pacific Institute of Management and Development(PMID).

The final project aims to "address the large knowledge gap" over the South Pacific labour market.

USP aims to generate this valuable knowledge base through the establishment of a Regional Comparative Employment and Labour Studies Unit," said Prof Chandra.

He thanked the European Union for the grant, saying the three projects were strategically vital to USP and the people of the Pacific.

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