“The work that Vanuatu Skills Partnership does is to act as the facilitator; to partner up with key stakeholders to address skill gaps in Vanuatu”.
Senior Program Manager for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Christelle Thieffry made this comment during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by key tourism stakeholders this week at the Vanuatu Tourism Office.
The MoU formalises the existing partnership between signatories to the MoU, tourism sector stakeholders the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO), the Department of Tourism, and the Vanuatu Skills Partnership.
The partnership seeks to strengthen and support skills in Vanuatu’s tourism sector through the collaboration of these three key stakeholders.
Ms Thieffry also acknowledged that the partnership between the Department of Tourism (DoT), the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) and Vanuatu Skills Partnership (VSP), has been ongoing since the closure of Vanuatu’s border following the declaration of the global COVID-19 Pandemic.
“In signing this MoU, this partnership with VTO and Vanuatu Skills Partnership will provide us with the resources needed to implement the programs derived from the 2019 Sector Policy,” says Janet Tambeana, Principal Outer Island Officer for DoT.
“I’d like to thank VSP for their support in establishing this partnership towards building the skill sets needed in our communities. This MoU is an important step that will help many people, especially those in our rural communities to gain access to much-needed training that will further strengthen our tourism industry”, says Adela Issachar Aru, VTO’s CEO.
“The work that VTO does is destination marketing which means that normally, most of our work takes place outside of Vanuatu. However, until we can safely reopen our borders, VTO has shifted its focus to supporting and growing our domestic tourism market. This partnership is crucial to helping sustain Vanuatu’s tourism businesses through this difficult time.”
The signing was witnessed by the staff of VSP, VTO, DoT and members of the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning & Aid Coordination and Prime Minister’s Office.
Principal signatories to the MoU were the Director of the Department of Tourism (DoT), Jerry Spooner, CEO of VTO, Adela Issachar Aru, and Fremden Yanhambath, Director of the Vanuatu Skills Partnership (VSP).