HRTrends
Staff development and training used to be regarded largely as a second-line supporting service but is now an essential element of strategic planning for any business - including the government.
The Hong Kong government has a challenging task meeting the training and development needs of more than 160,000 civil servants. These employees are engaged in a diverse range of duties and are spread across more than 70 bureaus and departments, each with different corporate priorities. This adds to the challenge of the task, which falls on the shoulders of the Civil Service Training and Development Institute (CSTDI).
The institute provides one-stop professional services to help departments with their strategic human resources planning, meet staff development needs and tackle specific training issues. It uses a proactive and versatile approach to address department needs with customised advisory and consultancy services, e-learning and other new staff development techniques, in addition to conventional classroom training.
Senior training officer, Monsze Chow Mon-sze, said government departments and private sector organisations faced similar human resources challenges.
'At the corporate level, many government departments have undergone, or are undergoing, restructuring which involves strategic planning and changes affecting human resources management. On the operational level, civil servants are now very service-orientated, and face rising public demand and expectations.
