1. INTRODUCTION

The argument that there is a distinct barrier separating education from training as two quite different activities and concepts has been going on for a long time and to all intents and purposes will probably continue into the distant future without specific resolution. For the purpose of this paper, however, especially because of the nature of the conduct of courses for employment preparation and employment skills enhancement in Fiji, it is not considered useful to make a distinction between education and training.

There are a number of vocational training institutions in Fiji. These include the Fiji Institute of Technology (FIT), the Fiji National Training Council (FNTC), Montfort Boys Town (MBT), Telecommunications Training Centre (TTC), Fiji College of Agriculture (FCA) and in all these institutions the courses taught must of necessity have a proper balance between theoretical inputs and practical applications for them to be useful to students without any job experience and to those seeking upgrading of job skills. Furthermore, the only distinction that can be made between the two major categories of vocational training institutions is that while the FIT, TTC, FCA etc. cater mainly for the training of people seeking entry into the job market for the first time, with the FIT also making some provisions for those already in jobs and seeking skills upgrading, the FNTC provides training only for those who are employed, although there is nothing in the Act to prevent it from becoming engaged in pre-service training.