December 17, 2019
Report Shows Government's Progress on Transforming Public Service
– – –Public Servants Challenging Status Quo, Making Changes to Improve Services for Manitobans: Helwer
The Manitoba government has released a progress report on the public service transformation strategy that highlights successful projects and changes resulting in better public services, Central Services Minister Reg Helwer, minister responsible for the Civil Service Commission, announced today.
“The implementation of the transformation strategy gave public servants the opportunity to challenge the status quo, and they have done so by putting forward hundreds of excellent ideas and initiatives that are making a real difference,” said Helwer. “This progress report tells some of the stories of transformation and shows how public servants are working differently by embracing creativity, improving outcomes and services, showcasing collaboration, breaking down silos between departments and being the voice of change.”
The minister said the public service has initiated a number of major initiatives including:
• developing and testing an information technology program to make it easier for students to apply for scholarships and bursaries, with work now underway to finalize the new portal for students;
• training staff to be transformation champions to address challenges across government, learn innovation tools and share best practices;
• creating a dedicated Learning Fund, with $2 million for staff training including specialized courses, conferences, symposiums, digital skills development and innovation engineering;
• developing an Indigenous relations certificate program, which has educated more than 100 public servants on Indigenous history and advanced government reconciliation efforts;
• partnering with North Forge to better support entrepreneurial development and the creation of better services for Manitobans;
• implementing the Idea Fund, which approved $23.1 million for 59 projects brought forward by front-line public servants, expected to generate savings of $32 million over four years;
• introducing a balanced scorecard system to align the public service with government priorities and measure progress, which Manitobans will be able to track through an online dashboard; and
• launching a public engagement portal to help Manitobans access information and participate in government engagement initiatives all in one place.
The province’s transformation strategy, Transforming the Manitoba Public Service: A Strategy for Action, was introduced in February 2018 to guide the public service and help meet the challenges associated with rapid technological, societal and environmental change.
The strategy contains two plans – one to transform the work of the public service and a second to build a culture that is forward thinking, creative and outcomes driven.
“We are giving public servants the tools they need to advance change while building on the existing foundation of strong public sector values,” said Helwer. “With a focus on outcomes and a strong vision, Manitoba’s public service will move forward as one team, committed to improving the lives of Manitobans.”
Visit www.manitoba.ca/transformation/ to view the full progress report and the transformation strategy.
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