The Samoa Qualifications Authority (SQA) will open its two-day Post School Education and Training (PSET) Bi-
Annual Conference at the Taumeasina Island Resort on Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th of September

2023.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Empowering Post School Education and Training Learners, Educators in
Samoa”.
Over one hundred stakeholders from the Education sector, industry and private sectors, international
organisations, and government agencies will take part in the two-day conference.
The PSET Bi-Annual Conference is an opportunity to bring education providers, employers and stakeholders
together to enhance the relevance and quality of training and education in Samoa. Continuous learning and
the employability of PSET learners are a key focus of the conference. Discussions during the conference will
also inform SQA’s priorities, activities and contribution towards the Government’s ‘Pathway for the
Development of Samosa’.
The SQA was first established by the Government of Samoa in 2006 to ensure the PSET sector is coordinated,
quality assured and given adequate support to meet required standards necessary for national and
international recognition. Relevance and Quality within education and training are therefore vital links to
recognition and employability.
This year’s conference will be a first for the Chief Executive Officer, Tupa’i Peter Peilua, who started his term of
employment in April 2023. “It’s exciting having this opportunity to bring all our stakeholders (government and
non-government) together to have courageous conversations about education and training in the post-school
system, and We are very delighted to have three international speakers at this two-day conference which will
add a different flavor to the conversations”.
The Board Chair, Dr Maria Talaitupu Kerslake, recently appointed in May 2023, is looking forward to welcoming
key stakeholders, on behalf of the Government, to this two day event. “We are living in the 21st century and
things have to adapt and change so that our grandchildren are prepared for the future”.
The SQA are looking forward to the outcomes from bringing together the key stakeholders in post school
education and training to this year’s Conference – the post school education and training providers with the
employers and workplace personnel to strengthen links and seek better ways of ensuring that the education
and training is relevant and quality assured for the job market.