Tuvalu to date has very little ongoing technical or skills training for early school leavers or students who are not suited to academic streams, or for adults who need to develop new technical or trade skills, or build on existing skills. There is some private provision as detailed in the COL Tuvalu Country Study (Raturi 2015). In May 2014 after a visit by the COL Education Specialist the idea of a pilot skills programme for youth on the island of Nanumaga was mooted to “establish a model for skills training (TVSD – Technical and Vocational Skills Development) on the island and replicate it on the other islands.”
Throughout 2016, 15 teachers from Nauti Primary School (Funafuti), and the islands of Vaitupu, Nanumaga, Nukufetau, and Nukelaelae met to develop 4 new courses to cover Horticulture, Working with Concrete, Basic Painting Skills and Basic Sewing Skills. Two of the courses were adapted from existing OER material. All of the new courses are published under a CC-BY-SA licence and are freely available for sue in other countries. The Horticulture course was originally produced by the National University of Samoa.
Horticulture and Concrete are already being delivered on Nanumaga through the leadership of the kaupule – or island council. Sewing and painting have also started in Nauti Primary School.