Academic retained tor training of Govt staff

Press, 3 July 1979, Page 7

Academic retained tor training of Govt staff

Wellington reporter

At a time of high unemployment and Government expenditure cuts in education, social welfare, and other areas, the Public Service still retains confidence in the future. This conclusion must be drawn from a recent action of the State Services Commission, the Government department which oversees the management of the other departments. The commission has a section of about 30 members 'concerned with staff training, whose total annual wage bill is about $’ 9,000. It has just retained the services of an Auckland academic for advice on s(,aff-training problems; the value of the retainer is confidential, but it is believed to be between $20,000 and $25,000 for about six months work.

This expert will advise the commission on where its staff training can be improved. His report is expected by the end of the year, and will be used to assess the effectiveness of the staff-training programmes the commission and its staff organise.

Dr R. M. Williams, chairman of the commission, said that the com-

mission and the Public Service would not be “panicked" by the economic recession into abandoning plans or attempts at self-improvement. In fact, self-improvement became more important at such a time. The move did. not provide grounds for the charge that money was being squandered, he said. The commission would certainly be open to criti-

cism if it did not make every effort to improve the quality and effectiveness of its activities, including staff training. Dr Williams said that when staff numbers were being controlled, and even reduced, management services expertise was needed to make even better use of the staff employed. The commission was satisfied it had found someone suitable for this work.