Marshall Islands
Education and skills deficiencies are impeding the social and economic development of the Marshall Islands (RMI). RMI faces significant shortages in almost all professions and trades and a growing reliance on foreign workers to fill supply labour deficiencies. The fact that most job seekers lack basic competency in English literacy and numeracy and do not possess critical thinking and other life skills needed for employment is a primary barrier to economic development and social stability. Approximately 70 per cent of students who start school do not complete their secondary education and only a small number receive tertiary institutions (2% of non-public employees are college educated). Less than half of the 1,300 students who complete grade 8 annually can be accommodated in existing high schools; some of those who exit attend upgrading programs but most are idle, unemployable and increasingly unstable. This underlines a tension between the urgent need to meet the overall growth requirements of the country while also providing remedial assistance to young people who are unprepared for vocational training or unskilled employment. Read more...