There is a move on by Government to build management and leadership competence in middle-managers in the public service.
Word of this has come from Director of the Learning and Development Directorate (LDD), Fay-Marie Browne, who said 22 public officers were currently undergoing a Diploma in Management Studies, with specialization in Public Sector Management.
Mrs. Browne stated that the Ministry of the Public Service, through the LDD, collaborated with the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity to develop and deliver the 18-month programme, which is expected to build capacity in five organizations. They are the Barbados Prison Service, the Immigration Department, the Barbados Fire Service, Government Security Guards and the Civil Aviation Department.
In many instances, the Director of LDD said, the officers possessed relevant years of experience and technical competence but might not have the required management knowledge needed to effectively execute their duties.
“This imbalance has compromised the officers’ abilities to effectively handle management and daily operational issues within their sphere of influence, and as a result, has placed additional pressures on the senior management levels. This, in essence, has hindered the ability of the respective departments to achieve their mandates.
“Therefore, this training is timely and appropriate and will expose the selected public officers to a wide range of current management techniques and practices, thereby increasing the knowledge, awareness, analytical capacity and skills within the public service. The programme of study will also stress the importance of public sector management and its development as an area of study and practice,” Mrs. Browne indicated.
She noted that with the training, participants should have a more holistic approach to their various tasks. In addition, she stated, the lecturers would reinforce the importance of government and the effective management of public resources.
The modules to be covered will include Organizational Behaviour; Management of Human Resources in the Public Sector; Managing Communications in the Public Sector; Public Sector Management; Introduction to Government Accounting; and Financial Management in the Public Sector.
Participants are attending classes two-days weekly, and the programme, which started last September, will end in February 2021.