Gerard Johnson, country representative, the Inter-American Development Bank, poses with Sherrone Lobban, CEO - DPM International, Sue-Ann Waite-Chung, Modernisation Programme Integrator -Cabinet Office and valedictorian, Sherill O'Reggio Angus, principal director, Modernisation Programmme implementation unit - Cabinet Office, and Hilary Alexander, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Mining and Energy.
Employees of the Cabinet Office and other government departments have successfully completed a course in applied project management, a strategic move to assist in the public sector modernisation programme.
During the graduation ceremony held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew last week, Hillary Alexander, former chief technical director of the Public Sector Modernisation Division (PSMD), noted that the elements of communication and integrated planning are key factors in modernising the public sector.
The Certificate in Applied Project Management course was conducted by DPM International in partnership with Boston University Corporate Education Center.
The graduation ceremony was the culmination of the three-month course which exposed participants to high quality project management standards. Course participants included technical directors, senior managers and policy analysts.
Growth and development
"As a country, and particularly as a public sector, we must be committed to the realisation of the many plans for growth and development that we have crafted," said Sherrill O'Reggio Angus, principal director, Modernisation Programme Implementation Unit of the PSMD.
In order to do this however, she advised that one must get into the habit of just getting in and getting things done "not at some point in time, but on time".
Valuable lessons
Gerard Johnson, keynote speaker and country representative, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), used his experience of managing several multimillion-dollar projects throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, to give the audience valuable lessons on how good project management can contribute to national development. He encouraged the graduates to be excellent project managers, who are hands-on, accountable, transparent and diligent.
Sherrone Lobban, CEO of DPM International, noted that all the graduates received above 70 per cent passes and lauded them for their overall diligence and dedication throughout the course.
"This training could not have been timelier, in a time when there is need for efficient use of very limited resources," Lobban stressed.