22 Constitution and Administration
4.
Providing Diversified Training
The Civil Service Training and Development Institute under the Civil Service Bureau formulates training policies and gives support to bureaux/departments in training matters. The institute focuses on four core service areas: senior executive development, national studies programmes, consultancy services in human resource management, and the promotion of a culture of continuous learning.
For senior executive development, a variety of leadership programmes led by world-class professionals and academics are offered to directorate and potential directorate officers. Advisory services on directorate succession planning are provided to departments. Staff exchange programmes with the private sector and municipal and provincial governments of the Mainland (including Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangdong Province) have been launched to provide officers with wider
exposure.
National studies programmes include courses at the National School of Administration, Tsinghua University, Peking University and the China Foreign Affairs University. There are also local programmes on national affairs and the Basic Law for staff at different levels. Apart from local academics, the institute also invites officials and scholars from the Mainland to speak at national affairs seminars.
The institute disseminates best practices in human resource management covering analysis of training needs, learning strategies, development of competency profiles and performance management systems through its advisory services.
To facilitate the pursuit of continuous learning among civil servants, the e-learning portal, Cyber Learning Centre (CLC) Plus, was enhanced in 2005 to provide an expanding pool of e-learning resources in a more user-friendly manner. The number of registered users of the CLC Plus is expected to increase from 45 000 in 2004 to about 55 000 in 2005.
As part of the efforts to promote a culture of continuous learning and self- improvement in the civil service, the institute introduced two new Training Sponsorship Schemes in 2005-06 with the objective of enhancing the qualifications and skills of front-line staff and the management capacities of junior and middle managers. Under the schemes, officers may obtain reimbursement of fees for attending external courses outside office hours.
5. Reinforcing Performance and Good Conduct
Staff commitment and contributions are recognised in various forms including honours and awards, commendations and appreciation letters. The Outstanding Service Award Scheme recognises the efforts and achievements of bureaux and departments in the pursuit of service excellence and forms an integral part of the efforts to entrench a customer-oriented approach in the delivery of service.
Since the establishment of the Secretariat on Civil Service Discipline to centrally process disciplinary cases, the Government has introduced further measures to shorten the time taken in processing cases. It has also delegated further authority on discipline matters to heads of departments, in the interest of empowering bureaux