Document Type

Conference Paper

Rights

This item is available under a Creative Commons License for non-commercial use only

Publication Details

Presented at the Higher Education in Transformation Symposium November 2 - 4, 2016 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The public service in Trinidad and Tobago is in need of streamlining and modernisation. In the 21st century the economic wellbeing of the country is tied into a global economy that demands entrepreneurship and quick and nimble business and administrative processes to retain a competitive advantage. In particular, Trinidad and Tobago needs to move from extracting ever diminishing hydro-carbon based natural resources such as oil and natural gas, to wealth creation through becoming a knowledge society, by marketing its collective intelligence and entrepreneurial acumen. This requires a well trained workforce and a civil administration that supports sustainable progress in all its social, commercial and political manifestations. This paper will describe the rationale, design, development and evaluation of a comprehensive programme of online training and development for secretarial, clerical and administrative staff, provided by The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) as a turnkey professional development solution. It also outlines the collaboration between a Government Ministry and a University and discusses the challenge such an educational technology initiative poses for the traditional system of skill and knowledge stratification as found in the Public Service occupational hierarchy in Trinidad and Tobago.


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