Ministry of Finance & The Public Service

Friday, July 14, 2017

Public sector transformation to present opportunities for civil servant

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — As the Government advances plans for the transformation of the public sector, civil servants will be given the opportunity to upgrade their skills to be suitably qualified for the new jobs that will accrue from the streamlining exercise.

Many of the new jobs will come from applying the new concept of shared services to the Government's ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). One such shared service is the human resource (HR) function.

This is according to Executive Director, Transformation Implementation Unit, Office of the Prime Minister, Maria Thompson-Walters, who informed that “new jobs that never existed before are going to emerge in the public sector”, as a result of the anticipated changes to occur with HR transformation.

Thompson-Walters was speaking at a recent forum on public-sector transformation, hosted by the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) at its Kingston campus.

Highlighting some of the new roles that will be created from the centralisation of HR functions, the executive director pointed to the position of reporting analyst, which deals with data that resides in shared services. 

This individual will provide information about employees, such as man-hours lost, days' entitlement, and how many persons are employed to particular MDAs. This information will assist managers to prepare their reports.

There is also the position of shared services associate, who will be responsible for manning a “help desk” for employees. Thompson-Walters further pointed to the specialised roles of HR business partner; client service officer; and client services manager that could also emerge. 

The executive director noted that the transformation team will seek to partner with MIND, along with other institutions, in order to provide opportunities for the upskilling of public officers, “which we believe is very important in any transformation”.

Thompson-Walters pointed out that the concept of shared services is a new area that the public service must embrace in order to increase efficiency of service delivery. She said the idea is to build out the shared corporate services model that was identified in the Master Rationalisation Plan that was formulated in 2011. The plan contains recommendations for the restructuring of MDAs.

“It's a simple model that says those activities that can be shared and then offered back to MDAs should be shared in a single organisation. HR fits neatly in that concept where you have a single entity providing HR services,' Thompson-Walters explained.

She said that adopting this concept, which is now only being used by three corporate entities in the country, does not translate into closing HR departments in the ministries.

“What it does mean, is that in those departments, HR functions will change significantly, and will be focused more on planning – workforce planning, succession planning – and assisting with the strategic direction, making sure that the Ministry has the manpower to carry out its functions effectively,” she added.

As set out in the Master Rationalisation Plan, the concept will also apply to other areas within the public sector, including legal services; procurement; internal audit; finance and accounts; public relations and communications; and information and communications technology (ICT) services.

The implementation of this concept is one of the priority areas that were identified for immediate action under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies agreement signed in October last year.

Other priorities now being undertaken under this renewed public-sector transformation thrust include a complete review of the classification of all existing public bodies, consistent with the public financial-management rules. This is with a view to divest some entities; merge entities where greater economies of scale can be achieved; wind up overlapping or inactive entities and outsource functions that can be better performed by the private sector.

The transformation team is also looking at wage bill management, public-sector efficiency, and implementation of shared corporate services.

Story Highlights
The Management Institute for National Development (MIND) will be hosting its Regional Public Sector Leadership Development Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel from July 19 to 20.

Presenters will include Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid; Advocate of Adaptive Leadership, Social Policy Specialist and Leadership and Development Professional, Kirk Humphries; and Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and Former Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Devon Rowe.

The Management Institute for National Development (MIND) will be hosting its Regional Public Sector Leadership Development Conference at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel from July 19 to 20.
The two-day event will be held under the theme: ‘Adaptive Public Sector Leadership, Changing MINDsets, Challenging Assumptions, Creating Transformation’.

“The conference will challenge the mindsets of our public sector leaders, ensuring that they understand the environment they currently operate in and how the space is changing as we move towards national development,” said Acting Manager for Customised Programmes Delivery and Administration, Latoya Swaby-Anderson.
She was speaking at a Think Tank held on June 27 at the JIS head office in Kingston.

Mrs. Swaby-Anderson informed that the conference will include a think tank round table for Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executive Officers (CEO); plenary sessions; a panel discussion; and presentation of the Public Life Award for leadership.

There will also be workshops covering topics such as: ‘the benefits of being an adaptive leader’; ‘how to shake up your organisation in the quest for talent’; ‘professional hurt’ and ‘how to get multi-generations to work effectively with one another’.

Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders, will open the conference.
Presenters will include Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid; Advocate of Adaptive Leadership, Social Policy Specialist and Leadership and Development Professional, Kirk Humphries; and Executive Director, Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and Former Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Devon Rowe.

CEO at MIND, Dr. Ruby Brown; Managing Director and Lead Consultant, Underwood Talent Development Services Inc., Ambassador Joan Underwood; Environmentalist and Facilitator, Caribbean Leadership Project, Dr. David Lee; and Regional Project Manager, Caribbean Leadership Project, Dr. Lois Parkes, will also make presentations.
Approximately 250 public sector executives, senior public officers and senior leaders from the private sector and civil society are expected to attend the conference.

Sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. over the two days.
Dr. Brown is urging leaders and managers to attend the conference and to take along at least two persons, who are not necessarily from the management team, “as persons may lead from anywhere in the organisation.”

Persons interested in attending may visit www.mind.edu.jm.

MIND is the Government of Jamaica’s public service training and leadership development institute.
The entity plays a crucial role in the transformation and modernisation of the public sector by providing quality leadership development options and management training.


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https://www.facebook.com/moejamaica/posts/1115322411823224:0
Friday, April 15, 2016

Govt to Implement Gender Quotas

jamaicaobserver.com
Tuesday, March 22, 2016

We recently partnered with the Bureau of Women's Affairs and CUSO International to host a Business Forum in celebration of International Women's Day 2016 under the theme; Promoting Partnership Towards Gender Equality and Sustainable Development: Experiences from the Business Sector. Over 130 persons from across all sectors were in attendance. The Hon. Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport delivered the Government of Jamaica's key message on gender issues while Mrs. Alison McLean, Permanent Secretary, of said Ministry and MIND's Director, Business Development and Communication, Marlene Campbell brought greetings. Distinguished members of the audience included, Paula Llewlyn, Director of Public Prosecution, Donna Parchment-Brown - Political Ombudsman, Arlene Harrison-Henry - Public Defender, Professor Barbara Bailey - CIDA expert, Fan Fianghong - Economic and commercial Counsellor and Sylvain Fabi - Canada's High Commissioner to Jamaica.

Panelists were Dr. Marcia Forbes, Executive Chairperson - Phase Three Productions and Adjunct Senior Lecturer, UWI, Mona, Mrs. Audrey Hinchcliffe - Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited Group of Companies and Yaneek Page - Founder & Managing Director, Future Services International Limited.

MEDIA Coverage:

1. Live radio interview via outside broadcast on Power 106 FM -
2. Excerpts from the event was aired on all radio stations in time allotted for government broadcasts (via JIS)
3.. Audio Visuals on the two leading television stations (via JIS's Jamaica Magazine)

4. Three On-line Stories from both the Jamaica Observer and JIS

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange made the disclosure at a business forum in commemoration of International Women’s Day, held recently, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.

The move is part of Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) on the part of the Government to accelerate equality between men and women.

It is in keeping with an action plan for gender equity and sustainable development in Jamaica, to be rolled out in the short term.

Legislated quotas will also be introduced to address the under-representation of women in local authorities and other positions of leadership, and to increase the participation of women in the relevant branches of governance and socio-economic organisations.

Grange said continued support will be provided to women’s groups and gender-related entities, such as the Jamaica Household Workers Union (JHWU).

The plan also includes ratifying Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, and ongoing training to facilitate capacity-building and institutional strengthening of the JHWU.
Grange informed that strategic interventions will also be undertaken to build on gains achieved, particularly in areas covered by the Beijing Declaration for Action (BPfA), which is aimed at advancing women’s rights.

She said the action plan includes revision of existing legislation, to make them gender neutral and compliant with the language and guiding principles in the National Policy for Gender Equity (NPGE), as well as commitments to regional and international agreements.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Govt-to-implement-gender-quotas

Name change for Bureau of Women's Affairs

Sunday, March 20, 2016

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – To refocus the work of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs (BWA), the Government will be changing its name to the Bureau of Gender Affairs.

Making the announcement last Wednesday at a business forum, in support of International Women’s Day, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, said a Cabinet submission has been prepared for the change, and will be enacted soon.

The minister said a key feature of the agency will be the “re-establishment of the male desk, because it is not just about us, it is not just about women. It is also about our men, particularly our young men affected by marginalisation.”

She pointed out that more emphasis will be placed on the National Policy for Gender Equity (NPGE), which was developed through a series of widespread consultations among key stakeholders, using a mainstreaming approach, and was approved by Cabinet on March 1, 2011.
The NPGE was designed to establish a framework for a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to fully integrate gender in every area of national life. “The implementation of the policy is therefore geared towards achieving equal treatment for women and men,” she said.
Grange noted that the policy will be implemented through “equal visibility, equality of opportunity, equal access to all resources, and equal participation in all areas of private and public life.”
Under the gender-mainstreaming policy, the Minister said equality in the workplace is paramount, as it speaks not only to the increased inclusion and participation of women, but also the creation of a more family-friendly environment, which will be beneficial to both men and women.

Minister Grange to Address Forum in Support of Women’s Day

By Judith Hunter
March 15, 2016

Photo: JIS Photographer Minister of Culture, Gender Affairs, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange.

Story Highlights
· Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is scheduled to be the main presenter at a Business Forum in support of International Women’s Day...
· According to Marketing Manager at MIND, Shawnette Henry, the event supports the Government’s mandate to take action to protect the rights of women and girls and to rectify long-standing gender inequality.
· International Women’s Day 2016 was observed on March 8.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, is scheduled to be the main presenter at a Business Forum in support of International Women’s Day, on Wednesday, March 16, at the Knutsford Court Hotel from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Management Institute for National Development (MIND), in partnership with the Bureau of Women’s Affairs and Cuso International, will host the forum, under the theme: ‘Promoting Partnership towards Sustainable Development: Experiences from the Business Sector’.
According to Marketing Manager at MIND, Shawnette Henry, the event supports the Government’s mandate to take action to protect the rights of women and girls and to rectify long-standing gender inequality.

Other presenters include: Executive Chairperson of Phase Three Production and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Marcia Forbes; Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited Group of Companies, Mrs. Audrey Hinchcliffe and Founder and Managing Director of Future Services International Limited, Yaneek Page.

Ms. Henry told JIS News that MIND organises and hosts fora designed to stimulate public awareness on issues of national, regional and global importance; and provides an avenue for the exchange of information, which will result in an improved quality of thought and behaviour change among the citizenry.

In addition, she said these fora also provide an excellent and strategic opportunity for leaders in the public sector, private sector, the academic community and civil society, to interface with each other and engage in a dynamic exchange of information, ideas and connections with far-reaching and invaluable outcomes.

International Women’s Day 2016 was observed on March 8.

Build your own brand, says educator

By Alicia Sutherland, Observer staff reporter sutherlanda@jamaicaobserver.com
December 15, 2015

The 2015 cohort of accounting and human resource students at the MIND campus, Perth Road, Mandeville.

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Staying relevant in the current work environment goes beyond merely returning to school and improving on one’s skills, says Manchester educator Dr Faithlyn Wilson.

Speaking recently at a seminar organised by adult learners in the Associate of Science degree in Accounting and Human Resource programme at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) campus in Mandeville, Wilson advised professionals to seek to build a personal brand.

Wilson, who is principal of the independent El Instituto de Mandevilla Preparatory School, urged her listeners to be critical thinkers. They should be creative, find ways to communicate their ideas and also collaborate with people of different personality types. Wilson said professionals should remember that excellence is a moving target and they should strive for it at all times.

Wilson said previous marks of achievement in workplaces, such as years of service, were no longer as important as used to be the case.

“One job for life is now a remote possibility. We have to become a brand. We have to be constantly trying to differentiate ourselves and build demand for our product. We have to do what any good business would do with the product ‘me,’ with the product ‘you’,” she said.

Wilson said skills and competencies are being measured with others in the global space and Jamaicans must endeavour to be more qualified to function in that competitive environment.

Also addressing the topic of the skills, competencies and personal qualities required for success in the 21st-century workplace, regional personnel manager for the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) Nerine Belnavis Waite emphasised that in a changing society, clients are more informed and expectations have increased.

“Your clients are expecting a certain level of service from you, (a) certain level of professionalism when they enter your organisation. What we see on the decline … now (is) good customer service,” Belnavis White told her audience.

In addition to the seminar, 26 students pursuing the course also mounted group displays.

MIND facilitator Dr Darcia Roache told the Jamaica Observer Central that the application of knowledge learnt in the three-month course was impressive.

“The good thing about MIND on a whole is that it (teaches) students… how to mix theory with the practical aspect…,” she said, adding that studying as an adult learner can be particularly daunting and required great commitment.

Coverage of MIND's 2015 Annual Graduation

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December 5, 2015

Parents Encouraged Not To Give Up On Their Children

By Alecia Smith-Edwards November 5, 2015

Thank you

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Minister with responsibility for the public service in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Horace Dalley (left), is presented with a copy of the Public Sector Senior Leadership Development Programme (PSSLDP) document by Dr Ruby Brown (centre), chief executive officer of Management Institute for National Development, during the PSSLDP's launch at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Andrew last Thursday. Looking on is Dr Lois Parkes, chief personnel officer in the Office of the Services Commission. (PHOTO: JIS)

Additional pictures can be seen on our facebook page at facebook.com/mindorg

New Leadership Development Programme Launched For State Agency Heads

By Chad Bryan October 26, 2015

New Leadership Development Programme Launched for State Agency Heads

Sunday, October 25, 2015 | 1:06 PM     2 Comments

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Senior managers and heads of government departments and agencies are being encouraged to enroll in the newly established Public Sector Senior Leadership Development Programme (PSSLDP), as part of their plans for career advancement. This invitation comes from Minister with responsibility for the Public Service, Ministry of Finance and Planning Horace Dalley, who says the programme, based on its content, represents a “solid investment.”

He was speaking during the PSSLDP’s launch at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), in Kingston, last Thursday.

The programme is a joint engagement between the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), and Office of the Services Commission (OSC), with funding support from the Finance and Planning Ministry.

It is deemed integral to the Government’s leadership succession strategy, and aims to create a cadre of senior executives capable of leading the public sector modernisation and transformation programme.

The PSSLDP is also intended to prepare a corps of senior officers from whom the positions of Permanent Secretary, Director General, and Chief Executive Officer, can be filled.

In this regard, Dalley told the first cohort of 25 officers attending the launch, that “every training opportunity (provided, such as the PSSLDP,) can (only serve to) enhance your personal (and professional) development.”

Meanwhile, MIND’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ruby Brown, noted that the PSSLDP “is clear about supporting individual learning needs…but priority is given to the strategic needs of the (general) public service.”

To this end, she said “it makes (provisions) for (the delivery of) topics such as diversity, social inclusion, energy, and health and food security.”

Participants in the PSSLDP, which is slated to begin in January 2016, will benefit from lectures delivered by facilitators from Jamaica and Canada.

MIND to Launch Public Sector Senior Leadership Development Programme

Thursday, October 22, 2015

The Management Institute for National Development (MIND) will launch the first cohort of the Public Sector Senior Leadership Development Programme (PSSLDP) on Thursday (October 22).
The programme involves partnership with the Office of the Services Commission and the Ministry of Finance and Planning.

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