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Following is the speech by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joseph W P Wong, at the Learning Exposition 2002 today (September 27):
Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the Learning Exposition 2002 today to support our promotion of a continuous learning culture in the civil service.
Three-year Training and Development Programme
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The Government has always attached great importance to the training and development of civil servants. Last year, the Civil Service Bureau acquired $50 million to launch a three-year Training and Development Programme to strengthen training and promote a continuous learning culture among civil servants, so as to enable them to cope with the changing society and the increasing demands of the public.
Under this 3-year programme, we will provide 90,000 additional training opportunities on top of existing ones. In the past year, more than 50,000 such new training opportunities have been offered to help civil servants better equip themselves and meet operational needs.
Learning Exposition 2002
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The Learning Exposition, a milestone of the three-year Training and Development Programme, is aimed at encouraging continuous learning and development in the civil service. It also showcases sophisticated learning opportunities by electronic means. In 2000, to complement conventional classroom training, the Civil Service Training and Development Institute (CSTDI) set up the Cyber Learning Centre (CLC) to provide civil servants with a full spectrum of on-line self-learning resources, with which colleagues may acquire knowledge anytime. As at June 2002, the CLC had more than 30,000 registered members, with the total number of visitors exceeding 180,000.
To further upgrade the service of the CLC, CSTDI's "Cyber Learning Centre Plus", a multi-functional e-learning centre, is officially launched today. Apart from a wider and enriched pool of diversified learning packages, the portal also supplies many additional job aids and hyperlinks with other relevant learning websites. Colleagues may also make use of the portal in checking their own learning progress. I hope colleagues will make full use of this new centre.
In addition to the "Cyber Learning Centre Plus" of CSTDI, other government departments and tertiary institutions have made considerable progress in the development of electronic learning programmes. We are pleased to have them sharing with us their valuable experience and achievements at this Exposition.
Training Incentive Scheme
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Apart from e-learning, we also motivate colleagues to pursue various external studies outside office hours. In this regard, the Training Incentive Scheme, another major component of the three-year Training and Development Programme, has been introduced to provide financial incentive for civil servants to embark on employment-related external short courses according to their personal development needs. The financial incentive is set at a maximum of $1,000 or 75 per cent of the course fee, whichever is the less. Colleagues can enrol in courses ranging from computer, languages to practical skills. Information about some of these courses will be furnished by the tertiary institutions and non-profit-making organisations taking part in this Exposition. I would like to urge colleagues to participate in the Scheme actively and embrace any opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills.
Conclusion
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Finally, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the staff of the organiser, CSTDI, and the representatives of various participating institutions and government departments. I hope this Exposition will open the door to continuous learning for colleagues, helping them identify the suitable ways for self-enhancement.
To seek constant improvement should be the vision of each and every member of the civil service. So let us keep abreast with the times and better equip ourselves in preparation for the challenges ahead.
Thank you.
End/Friday, September 27, 2002
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