Manual on Staff Development in the Public Service

3.1         Central Training

3.1.1      Central training incorporates the training activities which are organised by the Staff Development Organisation (SDO) at the Office of the Prime Minister.  In its role as the central Government training organisation, the SDO is responsible for policy and direction of training activities within the Public Service.  It gives advice and logistical support to departments for the identification of training needs and subsequent organisation of training programmes.  The SDO maintains contact with local and overseas educational institutions and training organisations in order to provide up-to-date information and  advice on career development.   The role and functions of the SDO were clearly specified in OPM Circular No 1 of 1991 issued on the 16 January 1991.

3.1.2.     In addition, the SDO regularly conducts service-wide training programmes for officers in different categories according to the needs identified by the various Public Service organisations including Ministries, the Management and Personnel Office as well as the Management Efficiency Unit.  Courses are normally organised during office hours and members of staff are released to attend these training programmes.  Language courses are usually held after office hours.  Further details can be found in the SDO annual Prospectus.

3.2         Departmental Training

3.2.1      Departments are responsible for ensuring that staff have a clear understanding of all the functions and activities of the department where they are deployed.  Although on the job training is an effective training method, it has to be supplemented by training activities for all levels of employees.  There should be systematic and regular training programmes directly related to the needs of the department and the individual employee.

3.2.2      Training functions within each Ministry are to be supported by the Department for Corporate Services.  Officers whose function is related to human resource development would be particularly responsible for this training function which includes:

• organisation of training courses for all categories of employees. SDO’s support may be solicited in order to identify training needs as well as to formulate and design programmes appropriate to the needs of employees;

• identification of members of staff who, after being given adequate                                   training, can deliver effective training programmes in their area of expertise;

• preparation of instructional handouts and other training material;

• provision of the required logistical support in regard to accommodation facilities for the holding of courses and the availability of training equipment;

• formulation of long-term training plans to ensure the provision of annual funds for training activities within the Ministry;

• publication of periodical reports on the training function which would serve to evaluate and analyse the cost-effectiveness of the training activities organised within a specific term.  

3.2.3      The SDO Training Guidelines, should provide useful advice on implementing the training function within Government organisations.   

3.3         Welcoming Newly-Recruited Staff 

3.3.1      Departments are to ensure that new recruits in all grades and categories should be made aware of the functions and objectives of their employing organisation.  They should also be informed about their role and responsibilities and how their work integrates in the overall set-up of the department.

3.3.2      It is important that new employees are provided with the opportunity to feel welcome within their work environment as from the initial stage of their engagement.   In this regard the following arrangements may be adopted:

a)           An officer, not below the grade of Senior Principal, is to meet new recruits.  He/she should ensure that each newcomer has a friendly reception, a prepared place of work, an adequate introduction to colleagues and a clear, brief explanation of the department’s work and the newcomer’s role therein.   A meeting with the Head of Department should also be arranged within the first days of engagement.

b)          After this general overview of the department, the new recruit is to be guided to the section where he/she is being assigned duties and introduced to the Head of Section.  The Head of Section will provide a general overview of the new employee’s duties and, in turn, introduce him/her to all the employees in the section.

c)           During the initial term of engagement, the new employee should be put under the charge of an experienced and responsible officer for guidance and on the job training.  During this phase he/she should:

• be given useful hints on office procedure and technical terms which are of common use;

• be informed about methods of dealing with correspondence, personal enquiries from members of the public and about telephone behaviour;

• be informed about the department’s organisational structure, indicating the names of the senior officers and their general responsibilities; at the first opportunity, the newcomer should also be shown round the various sections of the department;

• be made aware of the importance to be accurate in his/her duties and to determine priority in his/her work in consultation with his/her superiors; and

• be told about the main rules and regulations of the section and provided with information about his/her conditions of work, including working hours, salary scale, leave entitlements etc.

This can take the form of a coaching or mentoring relationship where an employee is attached to another experienced and trained employee who will help the new recruit during his or her induction.

A recruit should be sent on an induction programme at the first available opportunity, to be imparted with a sense of the wider scenario and new general workings and core values of the public service.

3.4         Mentoring and Coaching

3.4.1            Mentoring and Coaching can be used in various circumstances as part of employees’ development.  A mentor and/or a coach can be very helpful to an employee’s development in an organisation and can be pivotal in the transmission of a positive organisational culture to new recruits in particular. 

3.4.2            The roles of mentor and coach differ in several ways. The mentor, a person with broad experience, acts as a counsellor, providing advice on career paths and development opportunities.  The coach is more of a tutor, observing work and actions, providing comments on execution, and teaching skills which may be lacking. Coaches can come from many sources. A coach can be a colleague, a manager, or an employee, and does not have to come from the same function or division in which the employee works.

3.4.3            Both mentoring and coaching must be viewed as long-term relationships - a commitment should be obtained before the relationship is established.  The mentor provides guidance and opportunities for practice. The coach observes and critiques the performance and provides employees with an outside perspective on their skills.

3.4.4            For more information on implementing a mentoring/coaching programme refer to the SDO Training Guidelines.

<<previous          contents          next>>