Nevis Premier – Joseph Parry
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 29, 2009 (SKNIS)
A strategic planning workshop organized by Government’s Human Resource Management Department is expected to point the way forward in establishing the department as a model in the civil service transformation process.
A preliminary step in the professionalization of the civil service took place in 2006 when the Establishments Division was renamed the Human Resource Management Department.
Chief Personnel Officer, Torfrida Rochester, explained that several expectations accompanied the name change, as components in the transformation process. The workshop was therefore organized to fill in the gaps as far as raising the department’s management capacity in the delivery of a professionalized civil service.
Workshop facilitator and Executive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), Jennifer Astaphan said that her organization has a mandate to support and partner with governments in human resource development, research as well as organization development among others.
In commending the government’s commitment to the development of its human resources she stated that the goal of public sector transformation must be outstanding service delivery to its customers.
“The one-stop experience must not only be the objective of the new wave of online services. This must also be the objective when customers do business in person. A single point of entry should give access to any service within Government. No one should have to go to several different places and wait weeks to have simple documents processed.”
Chief Secretary, Joseph Edmeade emphasized to staff of the Human Resources Management Department that the goal of the strategic planning workshop was to address the increasing demands of the general public which is being fueled by the competitive environment internationally.
Mr. Edmeade said while disciplinary measures and procedures are important, the focus must be the implementation of a programme that encourages civil servants to be servants of the people just as their title suggests.
He called on the Human Resource Managers to look at their role holistically as they lead the way in delivering goods and services that people require.