By Ozioruva Aliu, BENIN CITY

THE  governor of Edo state, Mr Godwin Obaseki has approved the training of 10,000 civil and public servants in the state to boost their performance on the job and proficiencies needed in other areas they may find themselves.

  The training which is billed to start on Tuesday, would be held at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) while those who would not be physically present for whatever reasons can join online.

  According to the Managing Director of JOOPSA, Ms Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu, the workers would be trained on courses like Public Service Fundamentals, Public Service Technical Writing, Public Policy Analysis, and Evaluation, introduction to project management, digital skills, anticorruption and Contract and Consultancy Management.

   She said “The JOOPSA Training Calendar for 2023 represents a portfolio of courses borne out of market research and a trend analysis of skills expectations in the Public and Civil Service.

   “The calendar provides a bird’s eye view of courses offered by JOOPSA to address current and future skill gaps. The 2023 training calendar enables proper planning and identification of the right courses for employees to build their capacity during the calendar year.

  “The overarching aim of the Academy is to strengthen the Civil/Public Service Institution through capacity building.”

  Obaseki set up the training centre which is first of its kind for Civil/Public Servants in Edo State in 2022 as a Learning and Development Institution, positioned to drive human capacity development by implementing, and coordinating the execution of data-driven capacity development programs geared towards up skilling & retooling the Civil and Public Service.

   She said the academy would also bridge the human capability gaps in the service and ensure that the “Edo State Public Service continuously possesses the required human and service delivery capabilities, to achieve the State Government aspirations.The Academy aims to be the preferred center for public sector knowledge in Nigeria.”

    Ajoonu added that “the  John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy’s primary function is to provide a one source of truth for all training within the Edo State Civil & Public Service. It provides a clear training methodology as well as Monitoring & Evaluation role in Ministries, Departments and Agencies specialized training, ensuring that the learning outcomes are measurable. This will have a direct impact on training and personnel performance across the rank and file.

   “The Academy’s scope and vision extends beyond Edo State. The plan is to position JOOPSA as the destination public service training brand in sub-Saharan Africa, over the next ten (10) years.”