A Samoa-based aged care trainer says the Pacific is the perfect market for Australia and New Zealand to get labour to fill expected shortfalls in the sector.
Ryman Healthcare's profit rose 8.4 percent Photo: 123RF
The World Bank issued a report suggesting a severe shortage of aged care workers in the two countries could be solved by welcoming more employees from the Pacific.
Va'a Alofipo is the director of the Bradford Institute of Advanced Education and said he agreed with the report.
He said his course was becoming popular, with 20 students recently graduating from his institute and 41 now in its latest intake.
Mr Alofipo said Pacific people suited working in the aged care sector.
"Any Pacific Islander, they are just brought up from the system of caring, loving and helping people," he said.
" So their characters, their personalities, they are really fitting in this sort of area because they carry the respectfulness, they have that edge of helping people, especially elderly people."