TARAWA, Kiribati – PACER Plus, through the Arrangement on Labour Mobility, assisted Kiribati in developing an Entrepreneurship Curriculum to develop the entrepreneurial skills of workers and their households and ultimately increase the economic development impact of labour mobility in Kiribati.

The PACER Plus Implementation Unit's (PPIU) labour mobility work programme seeks to enhance the development benefits of labour mobility for participating countries, particularly Pacific PACER Plus Parties. One of the ways by which labour mobility can be leveraged for sustainable economic development in the Pacific is through economic reintegration including through entrepreneurship and business investments by labour mobility workers, their households, and local communities. In recognition of this development potential, the government of Kiribati requested the support of the PPIU to develop an entrepreneurship training curriculum and training of trainers programme to help to develop the entrepreneurial skills of i-Kiribati labour mobility workers and their families.

PACER Plus developed an entrepreneurship training curriculum and training of trainers programme to help develop the entrepreneurial skills of i-Kiribati labour mobility workers and their families.

"Our labour mobility workers are an important development dividend for Kiribati and one of the ways we can harness this dividend is through encouraging entrepreneurship and business investments. Many workers and their households are interested in business investments but lack entrepreneurial skills. This curriculum is part of our initiatives to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship amongst our workers and their families, enabling them to maximise the benefits of labour mobility and contribute to Kiribati's economic growth," said Mr. Rui Tabutoa, Secretary for the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives in Kiribati.

The curriculum development and training of trainers programme was completed in March of this year and the first training session was delivered in May by trainers from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, who were trained in the PPIU-funded Training of Trainers Programme. This is the beginning of a series of trainings that will empower Kiribati workers with the valuable entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to enhance their economic prospects and create sustainable businesses.

"The entrepreneurship training modules for Kiribati is an important part of the PPIU's work to support economic reintegration programmes that can harness the development benefits of labour mobility for Pacific sending countries. The curriculum covers various aspects of entrepreneurship, including business planning, financial management, marketing strategies and risk management," said Dr Alisi Holani, PACER Plus Labour Mobility Specialist.

"We are pleased to see the first training being delivered by trainers that were trained in our Training of Trainers programme and we will continue to monitor so as to ensure that anticipated outcomes are delivered for Kiribati," she added.

PACER Plus Implementation Unit remains committed to supporting Kiribati's efforts in promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing economic opportunities for her people. This initiative reflects the shared vision of PACER Plus and the Government of Kiribati to harness the potential of labour mobility and empower Pacific peoples to build prosperous and sustainable livelihoods.

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