THE GOLD TO DIAMOND (G2D) JOURNEY CONTINUES Renewal and modernization of the Public Service in progress

MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

19 January, 2015

 

THE GOLD TO DIAMOND (G2D) JOURNEY CONTINUES Renewal and modernization of the Public Service in progress

 

In 2012, the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA) officially launched a new flagship programme to modernise the Trinidad and Tobago Public Service called the Gold to Diamond (G2D) Journey. The occasion was the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the national Public Service, which also coincided with the country’s 50th Anniversary of Independence.

This ten year programme is intended to renew and modernise the Trinidad and Tobago Public Service so that by the time of its 60th Anniversary – its Diamond Jubilee – the Trinidad and Tobago Public Service would have emerged from the post-colonial era of the 20th century into the dynamic and exciting technology-driven and knowledge-based 21st century. This new Public Service, and the Public Officers staffing it, will be more citizen-centric, technology-savvy, and focused on providing excellent customer service efficiently, with an emphasis on giving top value for every tax dollar spent.

The rationale of the G2D was informed by several surveys carried out to determine the core areas where the Public Service must be improved. Survey results released in August 2012 were revealing. The Trinidad and Tobago citizens polled clearly stated four specific areas in which the Public Service must transform:

  • Good quality service (54%),
  • Friendly staff (49%)
  • Clean facilities (47%) and
  • Knowledgeable staff (44%)

In order to show the citizens of this country that their requests for a better public service have not fallen on deaf ears, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago though the MPA made a commitment to ensuring that the Public Service is ‘fit for its purpose’, i.e. it is structured, staffed and resourced to deliver quality service to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and its other client groups. Thus, the G2D will bring about modernisation and transformation in four key areas, namely:

  • SERVICE DELIVERY via the Trinidad and Tobago Diamond Standard (TTDS) Certification Programme;
  • HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, primarily through the Diamond Shaped Human Resource Management (HRM) Architecture;
  • GOVERNANCE, via Legislative Reform, Open Government initiatives and Results Based Management; and
  • INFRASTRUCTURE, with Facilities Management, ICTs and the Business Continuity Management Programme being a major focus.

The overall Public Service renewal and modernisation programme is built on the premise that only when there is a strong policy environment, institutions with the right people in the right jobs with the appropriate infrastructure, all of whom are operating on a high level service platform, will the Public Service have the capacity to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of citizen services.

The ten-year G2D Journey has begun. As 2015 unfolds, the G2D Journey begins to accelerate as major changes in the Public Service architecture take place, and significant milestones on the Journey are achieved.

The Ministry of Public Administration and the G2D modernization initiative achieve a major milestone on Wednesday 21 January, when eleven (11) services, which participated in the Trinidad and Tobago Diamond Standard (TTDS) Certification Programme, would be awarded the Diamond Standard at a special Awards Ceremony. The event will take place at 05:00 pm on Wednesday January 21, 2015, at Queen’s Hall, and will be broadcast on live television on TV4.

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For further information, please contact:

Rae Ann Harper-Walters Head, Corporate Communications

623-4724 ext. 2076, 688-2068 or email: harper-waltersr@mpa.gov.tt