Short courses and professional training

Scholarships are not only for a bachelor's or a master's degree. Some pay for a short course, from a few weeks to a few months. Others pay for vocational training: a certificate or diploma to learn a trade or a job.

What these courses offer

• It's shorter. A few weeks or months, instead of several years of study. You spend less time away from your family.
• You keep your job. Short courses are made for people who are working: you go, then you come back to your job.
• It's useful straight away. You learn skills linked to your work, and you use them as soon as you're back.
• You meet people in your field from other countries. These contacts stay useful after the course.
• Several are fully funded: travel, training and a living allowance.
• Vocational training prepares you for a trade. Some of it takes place in Vanuatu, without going abroad.

Two kinds of training

Short courses for professionals. They last from a few weeks to about a year. They don't lead to a university degree. You learn at a university, an institute or an organisation abroad, then you go back to your job. They are often called "short courses" or "fellowships".

Vocational training. It leads to a certificate or diploma for a trade or a job: electrical work, mechanics, tourism, care work and so on. This is often called "TVET" (technical and vocational education and training). In the French system, the BTS and the DUT are examples.

Short courses on this site

• Chinese Government ScholarshipFull Chinese Government scholarships for Ni-Vanuatu students to study in China, from bachelor's to PhD, plus non-degree study.
• Commonwealth Fellowships (United Kingdom)Fully funded professional training in the UK, for six weeks to three months, for experienced professionals and university staff from Vanuatu.
• Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship (United States)A fully funded ten-month professional programme in the United States for experienced public-sector and non-profit workers from Vanuatu.
• ITEC training courses (India)Fully funded training courses in India for working professionals from Vanuatu, in many fields, all year round.
• Rotary Peace FellowshipsFully funded master's degrees and one-year certificates in peace and development for experienced professionals from anywhere, including Vanuatu.

What to know before you apply

They are mainly for people who already work. Several ask for years of experience. For example, the Commonwealth Fellowships and the Humphrey Fellowship ask for at least five years of work in the field.

Your employer has a role. For several programmes, your employer must write a letter, fill in part of the form, or agree to give you leave. Talk to them about your plans early, well before the deadline.

Some go through the Vanuatu Government. For ITEC courses, your application goes through a government department, which sends it to the Indian mission. Hand it in about three months before the course starts.

You go back to your job. Some programmes ask you to sign an undertaking to return to Vanuatu and to your job. Read the "Obligations after the scholarship" part of each page.

The field matters. These courses are often linked to a theme: health, governance, environment, technology… Choose one that matches your current job: selection panels look at the link between the course and your work.

Vocational training on this site

These scholarships pay for a vocational certificate or diploma, in Vanuatu or abroad.

• APTC bursaries (Australia Pacific Training Coalition)Help to pay for Australian vocational training at APTC in Port Vila or elsewhere in the Pacific, for Ni-Vanuatu who cannot pay on their own.
• Australia Awards Scholarships (Vanuatu)Fully funded Australian Government scholarships for Ni-Vanuatu citizens to study in Australia or at a Pacific institution, from TVET Certificate IV to master's, in priority fields for Vanuatu's development.
• Japanese Government (MEXT) ScholarshipsFull Japanese Government scholarships for Ni-Vanuatu students to study in Japan, from technical college and university to master's-level research.
• Türkiye Scholarships (Türkiye Bursları)Full Turkish Government scholarships for students from all countries, from two-year vocational degrees to PhD, with a year of Turkish first.
• Vanuatu Government ScholarshipsThe Vanuatu Government's own scholarships for school leavers, current students and postgraduates, in study pathways the country needs. One online application through the national scholarship portal.

How to get ready

1. Keep your CV up to date, with your jobs, dates and responsibilities.
2. Keep copies of your diplomas and work certificates. The guide Getting your documents ready in Vanuatu explains how to get them.
3. Talk to your employer about the course you want.
4. Watch the dates. The calendar shows the next openings. You can also subscribe to it.

Do you know a short course or vocational training open to Ni-Vanuatu that is not on this site? Tell us.