THE Government has received high marks for the roll-out of the Public Sector Learning and Development Policy from one trade union representing public sector workers.

President of the Jamaica Civil Service Association (JCSA) Techa Clarke-Griffiths has hailed the launch of the new policy, describing the execution as visionary.

Clarke-Griffiths was among the stakeholders at the recent launch of the policy, which was organised by the Office of the Cabinet and the Management Institute for National Development (MIND).

The agency also unveiled a new online learning and development portal designed to provide public officers with easy access to competency-building tools via www.mind.edu.jm.

“Incorporated in all of this is artificial intelligence and I am extremely proud of the team at MIND and how they brought it across. Not only in the present, but how they showed us a picture of what the future looks like.

“It is not just creating the policy, but they have been visionaries in showing us what the policy hopes to bring, and I am so looking forward to it. A lot of times we get policies, we implement policies, but we really don’t see a projection of the outcomes. Today’s film helped us to envision the future of a public sector transformed through the learning and development policy,” said Clarke-Griffiths in reference to the policy launch, which MIND unveiled as a movie première.

Produced by creative marketing agency Pixie Magic, in collaboration with the Creative Production and Training Centre (CPTC), the 15-minute short film transported stakeholders a decade into the future, showcasing a public sector where learning and development are already deeply embedded within a civil service built on service excellence.

“MIND is the agency that will be charting the course for the roll-out of this policy, and they have shown us what a good production looks like. I was quite impressed with the entire launch event which demonstrated the kind of excellence we want to see in the service going forward,” Clarke-Griffiths added.

Among the projected outcomes of the learning and development policy is a public sector where pride and excellence are encouraged. The policy is intended to create an environment where managers at all levels have the necessary knowledge to effectively exercise their delegated authorities, and public officers get the relevant skills and competencies to do their jobs effectively.

According to Cabinet secretary Audrey Sewell, the policy is another step on the road towards a modernised public service.

“The Government has given a commitment to institutionalising a cohesive, well-resourced and transparent public sector-wide human resource development and deployment machinery. Rolling out this Public Sector Learning and Development Policy is a critical element of that effort. This is how we will empower our people and cultivate a cadre of well-educated professionals who can quickly adapt to a dynamic global and local environment. This structured approach to learning and development is essential for achieving our long-term development goals,” said Sewell.

It’s welcome news for the JCSA president who expressed hope that the policy would translate into new learning and development opportunities that can fill gaps in training and capability.

“This policy sets the framework for training and development to take place regardless of who you are in the public service. It’s important to the JCSA because it is going to be equitable across the board with 30 hours of training for every worker. This policy makes training mandatory for everyone. We’re extremely happy and we’re looking forward to supporting its implementation so that our public servants can grow and chart their own pathways throughout the service,” asserted Clarke-Griffiths.

The Learning and Development Portal, which was also unveiled with the policy, provides centralised access to specially designed learning materials, programmes and tools that public sector workers can use to better manage their careers.

“The portal gives every civil servant access to Government’s Competency Framework Model, which outlines the specific competencies required for public servants across all levels of the sector. It’s now easier than ever for public servants to have a clear understanding of what they need to learn, and the skills they need to have in order to fully satisfy role requirements.

“But more than that, the portal details all the professional pathways for career development, essentially putting more power into the hands of the worker,” explained Dr Ruby Brown, chief executive officer.