The Public Service Expo24 opened today at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali with a conference for the heads of public administration. The conference was addressed by the Principal Permanent Secretary, Tony Sultana, who reiterated that never before has there been this need for the public administration to continue investing in the skills of its employees. He reiterated that as we are in an unprecedented time, where everything is changing at a fast pace, the skills of public officers also need to continue to evolve.
Mr Sultana said that the skills of all employees are important, not just those who obtained formal certificates. Manual workers should be treated with all respect because they obtained certificates at ‘life’s university.’ He also referred to the new employees of a young age, known as Gen Z. These are employees that look at life differently, so before we give them lessons, we must understand them. He called them employees who have courage, ambitions and great abilities and are not afraid to change. “Our capacity should be not only to attract them to the public administration, but also to keep them with us and turn them into better employees than we are.”
The Head of Public Administration also referred to officials in the technology sector and encouraged them to remain prepared to keep updating their skills. Work in this area will focus on how we can analyse the large volume of data and information, how we protect our systems and use all the tools that technology is providing available to people. He emphasised that in all this, we must be ready for change.
Mr Tony Sultana looked at major changes in the public administration, including rebranding, modern working practices, and changes in various procedures. He said that over the last two years, more than 65 collective agreements have been closed, from which at least 15,000 employees have benefited. In doing so, the public administration has achieved strong results, in budget measures carried out, and in carrying out recommendations of the Auditor General and the Ombudsman.
The Head of the Public Administration also said that during this year’s Expo more reforms and initiatives will be announced, including a new electrical Government vehicle fleet with around 350 electric cars. Apart from this, three collective agreements will be sealed for workers of various levels including general service grades, management stream and manual workers. All this can happen not only with strong technology, but also with the skills of public officers.
He also announced that the Public Service website, www.publicservice.gov.mt, has been renovated with a number of new features. The site has also been given a new look to make it more accessible.
Mr Tony Sultana concluded his message by urging public officers to be proud to form part of the public administration because everyone is important and has invaluable skills.
The Principal Permanent Secretary’s speech was followed by a discussion focusing on ‘Strengthening Skills’.
The Public Service Expo will be open to the public as follows:
Wednesday, 15th May from 12.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Thursday, 16th May from 12.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Friday, 17th May from 12.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Saturday, 18th and Sunday, 19th May from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Anyone seeking further information should follow the social pages of the Public Service on Facebook and Instagram.
