News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

May 7, 2019

Manitoba Announces New Fund to Advance Public Servant Skill Development

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Investing in Transformation, Innovation within the Public Service: Pallister

A new skills fund is being created to help public servants develop their talents and enhance their ability to provide quality services for Manitobans, Premier Brian Pallister announced today.

“As we build a more innovative, client-focused culture within Manitoba’s public service, our public servants need to continually upgrade their skills and knowledge to meet the evolving needs of Manitobans,” said Pallister.  “The fund is an investment in the people of our public service in order to build a modern and dynamic team that places innovation at the heart of its work to improve outcomes for Manitobans every day.”

The $2-million Learning Fund is a pilot project that builds on the province’s transformation strategy by encouraging skill development, which will enable public servants to modernize and innovate.  

The program will provide equal access to funding for all Manitoba government employees regardless of department and physical location in the province.  Employees will have the opportunity to identify a need for particular training that falls outside of the programming already offered by government.  It could include courses on innovation and ways to improve processes, and industry-specific professional development, the premier said.

“In an increasingly interconnected world of rapidly advancing technology and changing citizen expectations, the skills we need in the public service are changing,” said Charlene Paquin, commissioner, Civil Service.  “Investing in our employees will help us to better meet the needs of the people we serve.  We are committed to fostering a new culture by grounding ourselves in the needs of our clients and harnessing the talent of our staff.”

The commissioner noted research shows investing in employee skill development improves employee engagement and service delivery outcomes.

Building on the success of the Idea Fund (formerly known as the Transformation Capital Fund) announced in spring 2018, which encourages staff to bring forward ideas to transform the work and culture of the public service, the Learning Fund focuses on investing in training to develop the skills needed for transformation and innovation across the organization.

To view Transforming the Manitoba Public Service: A Strategy for Action, visit www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/transformation_2018.pdf.

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