The Plateau State Government has initiated a three months training program for its civil servants on the area of Information and Communication Technology to keep up with the Global challenges of using computer systems in work places.
The State Head of Civil Service, Engr. Sunday Ishiak reiterated the need for ICT training while flagging off the ICT training for members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria (ASCSN) in the State.
“There is the need for training and retraining of professionals in their various pace of governance and a common denominator in this training is ICT.”
The initiative is aimed at empowering members of the Association to keep up with the Global challenges of using Computer systems in work places since members need ICT knowledge and equipment to operate from home and even on transit, and many civil servants are not ICT compliant.
Significance of ICT Training For Civil Servants
The Head of Civil Service in the State Engr. Sunday Ishiak further noted the importance of ICT capacity building to the present administration in the state to include:
- Ability to work from home at challenging times. The lockdown as a result of COVID-19 pandemic forced the civil servants to work from home which is challenging.
- Foster creativity and creative thinking skills through the Information and Communication Technology learning.
- It is also to bridge the digital skills gap between public and private sector employees in the country.
- The initiative is closely linked to the National Employment Initiative where all agencies at all levels of Government are encouraged to initiate or implement specific action program to accelerate the creation of more employment opportunities.
In a paper titled ‘Role of Information Technology in Improving Governance and Development Impact’, the Director ICT, Plateau State Polytechnic Mr. Dauda Sambo, noted that with ICT the Government can manage its information effectively.