Public Service Chief Training Officer; Training Officer

Apr 28, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The ‘Vacancy Announcement’ in respect of the abovementioned positions indicated closure of applications as at March 25, 2022. Interested parties would be most pleased to be advised of the results, if any, of the selection process, particularly given the confusion of ‘Qualification/Experience’ sought, as reproduced following:
Qualification
a) Chief Training Officer
Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management, Education, Personnel Management (an extinct terminology at least); other relevant disciplines in the Social Sciences; OR Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management, Education, the aforementioned Social Sciences, with the unfortunate insistence on ‘Personnel Management’ – the obvious connection being that there are still ‘Personnel Officers’ (five grades) in the Guyana Public Service, unlike sister CARICOM states and elsewhere.
b) Training Officer
Interestingly the priority here is for Bachelor’s Degree in Education; followed by Human Resources Management or other relevant disciplines in Social Sciences (with Personnel Management omitted) OR Diploma in the foregoing areas of study; OR a Trained Teacher’s Certificate (in unidentified subject area).
But reflective of the standard of productivity of the inviting OFFICE, ‘Experience’ is included in the same sentence – as a continuum of ‘Qualification’ stated as follows:
Chief Training Officer
– ‘and at least seven (7) years’ experience in the development, delivery and management of training programmes’
– Training Officer – ‘Experience required is four (4) years’.
In neither case is the nature or range of programmes identified.
The foregoing is by no means a matter of nit-picking. It is, more substantively, about attention to detail; about the portrayal of the standard of leadership of the related employer; about what the perceptions of employees at different levels of the organisation may be; and perhaps critically, about the judgment of the more analytical candidates of the prospective work environment.
It is obvious that the function of Human Resources Management is not to be celebrated in the Public Service of Guyana.
For another thing, ‘Terms of Reference’ are more applicable to ‘Contracted Employees’ as distinct from ‘Job Descriptions’ for more normally permanent positions.

E.B. John

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