Approximately 40 senior public officers are currently enrolled in a project management training course, with the aim to enhance their knowledge on the subject. The first of nine sessions began on Sep. 10, at the University of the West Indies Open Campus.

Betty Blanchard, acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Department of the Public Service, explained the importance of the course.

“Currently there are a number of projects being undertaken in the public service and we saw the need to enhance the skills of our officers, in order for them to execute their tasks in a more efficient and effective manner.”

The training is being facilitated by Betty Combie, Facilitator of Project Management, UWI Open Campus. She said the course will allow for in depth analysis and the subsequent improvement of projects.

“Project management is a very important body of knowledge. I like to use the example of a wedding vs a marriage. The wedding is a project, where project management comes into play. But there is also another important body of knowledge—quality management, which is related to operational work. So the wedding is the project, but the marriage is operational work. Projects have a beginning and an end, and you get a unique result, but there is also ongoing repetitive work which is operational work. The officers will be involved in preparing project plans and then be able to analyze the success of the projects which will improve competency.”

Upon successful completion of the project management course, participants will receive a UWI Certificate of Achievement.