Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle has disclosed that the present administration is investing massively on information technology and online training for staff capacity development, just as the State Public Service is gaining global attention for sponsoring an employee towards the historic feat of becoming the first forensic dentist in the whole of West Africa.
The Commissioner disclosed this during the Year 2020 Ministerial Press briefing organised as part of activities to commemorate the first year in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the JJT Park, Alausa, on Wednesday.
She informed the gathering that the State Government decided to fully sponsor one of its staff from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to study a Masters in Legal Medicine and Forensic Dentistry outside the country in order to bridge an identified gap in the State Public Service.
“Once the staff completes his course of study, he will be the first forensic dentist in West Africa as a result of the massive investment in human capital development by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration”, Ponnle said.
Restating the government’s commitment to building a 21st Century workforce, Ponnle said a notable achievement under the present administration is the introduction of online learning programmes, starting with the Webinar series which ensured that the capacity of the entire workforce is developed, especially during the Statewide lockdown order.
The Commissioner said that within the short period of introducing the Webinar initiative, 11 different series had been held with 10 Generic and one job-specific programme for teachers, adding that there was also a Virtual Launch of the pilot of the Lagos State Learning Management System (LMS) with over 10,000 members of staff having access to over 500 training courses.
In her words: “The pilot Phase of Executive Coaching Programme for Executive Council Members was also launched with 30% of cabinet members enrolled. The initiative was in partnership with International Coaching Federation accredited coaches, whereby cabinet members are offered one on one coaching by accredited experts in sessions to support in developing their personal, professional and political aspirations”.
“The Launch of the Learning Management System and the various Webinar series was aimed at achieving a paradigm shift from learning, being an event to being a continuous process, thereby building a workforce that is equipped with relevant skills, knowledge and competencies to deliver the dividends of democracy to the teeming population of the State”, Ponnle said.
She explained that the Lagos State Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Magodo, established primarily to train government officials has also keyed into the virtual training initiative as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown and suspension of physical training courses.
While maintaining that the Ministry has a stance of business continuity despite the pandemic, the Commissioner said PSSDC has also continued to engage its participants and other stakeholders through the placement of slides on its website, just as the Centre is also in the process of commencing its learning and development activities through alternative means.
