PICA and MIND Partner to Strengthen Staff Training

The Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop customised training programmes and structured learning pathways for PICA staff.

The signing of the strategic partnership took place at the Ministry of National Security and Peace in New Kingston on Thursday (March 12).

The MOU was signed by MIND Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Ruby Brown, and PICA CEO, Garth Williams.

Under the partnership, MIND will collaborate with PICA to design and deliver specialised training programmes aligned with PICA’s core functions in border management, immigration control, passport services, and citizen administration.

The collaboration supports the Government’s Public Sector Learning and Development Policy and the Public Sector Learning Framework. The MOU will remain in effect for three years.

Addressing the ceremony, Portfolio State Minister, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, emphasised that the formalisation of the partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the capability of the Jamaican public service.

She noted that the MOU reinforces PICA’s ongoing organisational transformation and its ambition to become a world class border management and identity services organisation.

“The success of our national institutions ultimately depends on the investment we make in the development of our people… and the Government will continue to strengthen these things. When we equip public servants with the right skills, the right tools, and clear professional pathways, we strengthen the capacity of the State itself,” Mrs. Cuthbert-Flynn declared.

The State Minister further highlighted that the initiative aligns with the Government’s broader public sector capability building agenda and supports the objectives of Vision 2030 Jamaica, particularly National Outcome Six, which calls for an effective, professional, and responsive system of governance.

She commended the leadership of both PICA and MIND for recognising the strategic importance of the collaboration and for taking this bold step towards institutional strengthening.

“Partnerships such as this remind us that national development is built through cooperation, shared vision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in public service,” Mrs. Cuthbert-Flynn said.

In his remarks, Mr. Williams noted that the undertaking forms part of PICA’s transformation journey from being best in class to becoming world class in border security and service excellence.

“It will provide the framework for PICA to reintroduce online learning opportunities for [approximately] 600 staff to learn, upskill, test, access certification, advance their careers, earn more and lead to a more skilled and motivated workforce,” he said.

For her part, Dr. Brown expressed that MIND is pleased to join PICA in this undertaking and looks forward with confidence to the value of the partnership.

“We do not recognise it simply as signing a document. It is about affirming a shared commitment… to building capability, strengthening professional pathways and harnessing public-sector expertise in service of Jamaica,” she said.