ENG-2002 — Page 49

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Review of Civil Service Pay Policy and System

In December 2001, the Government announced its decision to embark on a comprehensive review of the civil service pay policy and system with the assistance of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service and the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service. The broad objective of the review is to modernise the civil service pay policy and system and to build in more flexibility to facilitate better matching of jobs, talents and pay. In the Phase One review, the Task Force set up under the three advisory bodies. carried out an analytical study on recent developments in civil service pay administration in other countries with a view to identifying best practices that might be of particular relevance to Hong Kong. In its Phase One Final Report submitted to the Government on September 20, 2002, the Task Force has made recommendations on priority areas for more detailed study in the short, medium and long term. Before taking a view on the way forward, the Government launched a public consultation. exercise to gauge the response of all interested parties to the Task Force's recommendations.

Civil Service Training and Development

The Civil Service Training and Development Institute (CSTDI) is the Government's central training and development (T&D) agency. Its work is to provide general training and advisory services to departments/bureaux.

The focus in 2002 was on assisting departments/bureaux in preparing their organisational T&D Plan. This new initiative, which has become an annual exercise, ensures departmental T&D activities are strategically aligned with business objectives and corporate goals.

Leadership development has also been given high priority. A symposium on Leadership Development in the Civil Service was held for about 1000 directorate officers at the City Hall Concert Hall in September. A Directorate Leadership Guide was published and a special website, Leaders' Corner, was launched at the same time to provide suggestions on learning strategies and resources for senior officers.

The three-year Training and Development Programme, launched in April 2001, continued to be the main driver in the promotion of a lifelong learning culture in the Civil Service. The goal is to help civil servants acquire enhanced skills and updated knowledge to meet changing service requirements. Over 1 000 seminars and courses on various areas were offered to 30 000 staff. An open learning exposition was also held in September, at the Central Library, to promote e-learning and encourage civil servants to embark on external studies.

The e-learning portal was upgraded and renamed as the Cyber Learning Centre Plus (CLC Plus), and now provides a one-stop access to a full spectrum of T&D information and learning resources. The number of registered users of the CLC Plus has grown significantly, to 30 000.

Apart from training programmes and visits, a new website, China Update, was developed to help civil servants keep abreast of the latest developments in the Mainland. A variety of courses and promotional activities were also organised to enhance civil servants' knowledge of the Basic Law.

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