I wish to compliment Training Administration Division for the compilation and presentation of the comprehensive training programme for the Public Service that is contained in this catalogue. It represents a further step along the path that was enunciated in the Speech from the Throne in February 2008 that the “Government will spare no effort to establish a well-trained and impartial Public Service”.

I am firmly of the view that continuous training and development of personnel is indispensable to the achievement of a high quality workforce, capable of implementing in an efficient and effective manner the policies and programmes of the Government for the benefit of all our citizens. This In-Service Training Catalogue therefore represents an important vehicle in the pursuit of that goal and I look forward to wide participation by public servants in the programmes offered.

The quest for First World status demands excellence from our workforce at all levels, and nowhere is the demand greater than in the public sector, the largest single employer. The public demands, inter alia, excellence in customer service delivery, timely responses and solutions to issues that are often complex. At the international level we are required to be competent in the use of the new technologies if we are to remain competitive. We have to meet all these demands in a cost-effective manner.

The job-related training set out in the following pages is designed to provide public servants with the requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform their duties and execute their functions in a better way. Public Service Managers must therefore partner with Training Administration to ensure firstly, that training needs are correctly identified, and at an early stage; secondly, that the appropriate persons are exposed to training and thirdly, that monitoring and evaluation are done to measure the impact of the training on work performance.

Fully cognisant of the rapidly changing requirements of the Public Service, the last two years have witnessed major new additions to the Catalogue as well as the redesign of existing courses. This year the following new areas are offered:

• Speech Writing

It is my hope that public servants will avail themselves of the opportunities offered to upgrade or refresh their knowledge and skills that would redound not only to their personal benefit but to the Public Service.

David Thompson