GONE are the days when secretaries could pass for being simple copy typists and making tea for meetings and bosses.
To highlight their valuable contribution to organisations, the Pacific Islands Centre for Public Administration (PICPA) and the Regional Centre for Continuing Education (RCCE) USP have started a training program aimed at improving managerial and leadership skills, customer service skills and other competencies and attributes required of a personal assistant.
Thirty participants from various government ministries were selected for the program enabling and empowering senior secretaries and personal assistants to play an active role in leadership.
USP's vice chancellor Prof Rajesh Chandra said the training that began on Wednesday would ensure competency-based assessments with direct application of learning at the workplace.
"The competency and skills gap has existed in this role in public sector, which has resulted in inefficiencies," said Prof Chandra.
"This training will provide comprehensive remedy strategies and capacity building. At the end of the four-month training, participants will be awarded professional certificate for senior secretaries and personal assistants at level five in line with the Fiji Qualifications Framework."
He congratulated the government, in particular the Public Service Commission, as the first beneficiary of the training. PSC acting permanent secretary Iliesa Lutu said the commission was aware of the needs for capacity building and determining clearer roles and responsibilities in enhancing public sector efficiency.