Public Sector Efficiency and ICT - Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU)

High-Performing Wards of the State Receive Tablets to Support Learning

Transformation Implementation Unit — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 17:33:19 +0000

Forty-six wards of the state recently received tablets to assist with their schooling under a partnership between the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) and the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA). The tablets were provided under a joint project which seeks to improve the information and communication technology infrastructure at the CPFSA to better serve the needs of vulnerable children and their families. The tablets were presented to children in state care who were successful in four or more 2019-20 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency (CAPE) subjects. Thirty-eight recipients were successful in CSEC subjects and eight in CAPE. More than half of the CSEC students received passes in seven or more subjects, with the top performer passing 10 CSEC subjects. Among the recipients of the tablets were students entering sixth form as well students matriculating to various tertiary institutions, including the University of the West Indies, Caribbean Maritime University, and the University of Technology. One of the recipients shared that the tablet was a much-appreciated gift, as he needed it for school, which he is currently attending online, expressing that “it came at the right time.” Another, who is majoring in Computer Science, observed that the tablet would help with her computer coding for school. Speaking at the handover, CEO at the CPFSA Rosalee Gage Gray said that the tablets provided, are academic tools to facilitate the students’ education. She emphasised that this was “indeed another worthwhile donation, which signifies the government’s commitment to supporting the students all the way, until the completion of tertiary studies, and successful transition into independent living.” In the meantime, Executive Director of the TIU, Maria Thompson Walters noted that the provision of the tablets comes at a time when they are most needed given the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for students to have access to online platforms for learning. She added that the donation forms part of the ICT expansion project at the CPFSA which includes upgrading the Agency’s call centre and automation of the process to refer child abuse; the provision of computers and tablets for field staff; consolidating IT platforms; establishing resource centres; the provision of additional psychological tool; and the installation of sensory equipment in five nurseries across the island.

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Stakeholders Support the Need for a New Work Permit System

Transformation Implementation Unit — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 18:26:26 +0000

Stakeholders of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s work permit system have provided essential inputs regarding the design of the new system. The Ministry is being supported by the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) to roll out an online work permit system to replace the current manual system. Several stakeholders were consulted including the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency; JAMPRO; the Ministry of National Security and several other government and non-governmental organisations as part of a stakeholder needs analysis for the new work permit system. The recently concluded stakeholder assessment is a critical component in advancing the project which will see the existing system moving from manual and paper-based, to an online, customer service oriented system that will help to improve processing times as well as reduce errors in the work permit process. Findings coming out of the assessment include the need for the centralisation of the work permit application process; improved efficiency with a reduction in the number of entities applicants need to interface with; as well as the provision of data. Additionally, it was recommended that the system which is expected to go live in 2022, be integrated with the Ministry’s Labour Market Information System to enable Jamaicans to have access to data regarding vacant jobs for which work permit applications are being made locally. Minister of Labour and Social Security, the Hon. Mike Henry says “the Ministry is committed to ensuring that jobs for Jamaicans are not replaced by persons from overseas. The Ministry is ensuring that work permits are granted to persons where there are no Jamaican counterparts or a shortage in the labour market and this system will help to achieve that.” In the meantime, members of the Work Permit Project team have completed two study tours between 2019 and 2020 to Canada and the Cayman Islands to learn about the system used in those countries and gain knowledge about best practices for possible adoption and replication in Jamaica. Executive Director of the Transformation Implementation Unit, Maria Thompson Walters indicated that “the new work permit system is one of the projects being facilitated by the TIU to drive public sector efficiency and improve Jamaica’s ‘Doing Business’ ranking.” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ms Colette Roberts Risden, affirms that the Ministry is committed to modernising its operations. “With this new work permit system, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security will more efficiently facilitate skills development and employment of Jamaican nationals, while supporting investors and employers who need to import skills that are not available locally.” Under existing legislation, foreign and Commonwealth nationals who wish to engage in employment in Jamaica, must obtain a work permit or work permit exemption before entering the country.

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Strengthening the ICT Capacity of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency

Transformation Implementation Unit — Fri, 01 May 2020 18:19:34 +0000

Laptop computers and tablets valued at approximately J$14 million dollars were recently handed over to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) by the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) under the public sector transformation programme. The batch of equipment is geared at enhancing the ICT capacity of the CPFSA to better serve the needs of its clients and includes 35 tablets and 56 laptops to support its field service team islandwide. As the Agency continues to bolster its field services operations, an additional 71 desktop computers will be delivered next month to replace old machines. This will enable officers to function more efficiently and effectively. The need for computers and tablets was highlighted in a recent report which assessed the ICT infrastructure of the Agency. Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Mrs Rosalee Gage-Grey noted that the ICT needs of the organisation are great and will be addressed as part of the Agency’s recently developed ICT Strategic Plan.“We are building the capacity of the Agency to better serve the needs of children and families in need of oursupport. As part of the modernisation plan, we will be putting in networks, replacing outdated computers and improving the communication capabilities in the organisation and with our multi-agency partners,” Mrs Gage-Grey emphasised. In the meantime, Executive Director of the TIU, Ms Maria Thompson Walters observed that the project at the CPFSA is designed to assist in the modernisation of the Agency’s operations using ICT as a key enabler to achieve its goals and objectives. The project also includes auxiliary support for other key areas of the Agency to allow it to have a greater impact on the children served and the society in general, such as an enhanced therapeutic environment for children to include those with special needs and to increase the reach of psychology screening and intervention programmes.

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Cabinet Secretary Optimistic About Outcomes of PSTP

Transformation Implementation Unit — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 16:46:35 +0000

Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders, is optimistic about the outcomes anticipated under the Public Sector Transformation Programme (PSTP), now underway. Ambassador Saunders, who is Head of the Civil Service, believes the attendant engagements being embarked on by the Administration, through the Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU), will yield significant and tangible results that should redound to Jamaica’s benefit over the medium to long term. His view is based on targeted activities under: public sector efficiency and information and communications technology (ICT); the introduction of shared corporate services; rationalisation of public bodies; human resource management transformation; and wage bill management. Ambassador Saunders was speaking at a recent Programme update provided by Finance and Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke. The Cabinet Secretary, who has been serving in his current post since 2008, has been a career civil servant for some 40 years, during which he has held various public service positions in Jamaica and overseas. This experience, he noted, has endowed him with the knowledge of, and exposure to successive Administrations’ public sector transformation efforts over the years. “I think it is important to make the distinction between those earlier efforts and the one we are now embarked on. Those previous efforts… in most cases, were the result of solutions and prescriptions coming from outside the country,” the Cabinet Secretary pointed out. He said the current phase is predicated on the adoption of a locally developed Master Rationalisation Plan in 2010 by the Administration of the day. “That framework is, of course, the one that continues to guide these efforts, which have, in a sense, been reinvigorated in more recent years,” he added. Ambassador Saunders said a close examination of the public sector shows it is, to some extent, constrained by limitations on the appropriate supporting technological and physical infrastructure, among other resources, albeit being staffed by highly skilled and qualified officers. He noted that resource constraints are particularly challenging, in light of the number of public bodies in operation vis-à-vis other jurisdictions, such as Singapore, with which Jamaica’s development is often compared. “I am told that Singapore has approximately 50 public bodies… [while] we have over 200 various State entities. There is, consequently, overlapping [of functions]. What has happened over the years is we have created new bodies without taking a look at what existed and what needed, perhaps, to be dispensed with or upgraded into institutions that can meet new requirements,” he said. This, the Cabinet Secretary argued, “is not an efficient use of resources,” adding that, “I think it’s clear that there is room for significant rationalisation”. He explained that all stakeholders must bear in mind that the main objective of the exercise relates to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of public services. Meanwhile, Ambassador Saunders said he is pleased with some of the significant advances and improvements over the last nine years. Arguing that this period may be deemed “a long time” and that many persons “are, perhaps, impatient for faster progress,” he emphasised that Jamaicans must remind themselves that the race is not for the swift, but for those who are able to endure the longest. “So, it is better to pause, reflect and ensure we are taking the correct steps, suitable for our requirements and circumstances,” Ambassador Saunders said. The Cabinet Secretary said he remains “quite confident” about the projected outcomes, and that members of the public sector will support the activities involved in the process. For his part, Dr. Clarke indicated that the transformation programme will facilitate the achievement of efficiency gains that are scalable and meaningful, thereby channelling focus on fixing some key areas of government operations. These, he reiterates, are outdated operating processes, inadequate use of ICT, inefficiencies and waste in operations, high transaction costs and times, inadequate human resource management practices, and a cumbersome compensation structure. Dr. Clarke reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to create a modern public service that is fair, values people, and consistently delivers high-quality services. Source: https://jis.gov.jm/features/cabinet-secretary-optimistic-about-outcomes-of-pstp/ Author: DOUGLAS MCINTOSH

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