248 Public Sector Employees Complete Courses at UWI

Some 248 public sector employees, who successfully completed courses at the University of the West Indies (UWI) School of Continuing Studies, were presented with certificates of competence at an awards ceremony held yesterday (February 27), at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, UWI.
The courses were provided under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Training Programme, which forms part of the MOU II agreement, signed between the Government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), representing public sector workers, in May 2006.
While addressing key fiscal issues, the MOU also spoke to the human development needs of the public sector workforce.
The participants were trained in the areas of Computer Graphics, Personal Computer (PC) Support and Maintenance, Computer Networking, Speech Writing and Public Speaking, Marketing and Sales, Access English, Computer Literacy, Computer Fundamentals, Events Management and Web Page Design.
Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Fitz Jackson urged the graduates to embrace lifelong learning as their mantra and to continue to learn as they grow.
“As you make use of the opportunities that have been provided for you through this programme, we want you to continue to make yourself more marketable, not only within the public service, but also outside the sector as well as outside the region,” he told the graduates.
The Minister further implored the graduates to ensure that they contribute to the viability of their organisations in a positive manner.
“Each of us in our position of employment must ensure that we remain valuable to our organizations. We should ensure that we contribute in the best way possible in the dispensing of those services for which the organization was established,” he said.
Meanwhile, President of the Jamaica Civil Service Association, Wayne Jones, explained that the programme sought to help prepare public sector employees for the modern labour market.
“You are being prepared for a labour market that is characterized by high levels of competitiveness and also one that has no boundaries. Opportunities exist for you, not only within the geographic boundaries of Jamaica but also in the wider Caribbean and indeed all over the world,” he told the participants.
Under the MOU II, public sector workers can also access training in areas such as e-government, project management, change management, stress management, writing skills and conflict resolution, which will directly contribute to improved job performance.
The programme was implemented by the Cabinet Office in 2004 after the signing of the first MOU. To date, 28 categories of workers from 64 public sector organisations have benefited from the programme. A total of 70 training institutions have conducted 288 courses with some 4,100 employees successfully completing those courses.