DESA's STAFF SPEAK-UP: - TRAINING

C. Training (Summary of the issue raised by DESA Staff)

• Several staff members stressed the need for more qualitative and relevant training. The way training is currently carried out does not meet staff needs for skills upgrading and does not encourage training and research to continue upgrading their skills.

• Training funds for substantive external training are often too low for staff to be able to attend state-of-the-art conferences, university seminars and to have access to libraries to keep abreast of the latest knowledge. Moreover, already scarce training resources and opportunities tend to be allocated unfairly, at the discretion of managers, rather than according to staff needs.

• Some lamented that training was often approached as an afterthought or was left to the individual initiative of staff members and not as part of a Departmental strategy to address the Department's needs.

• Several staff members suggested using training as an opportunity to address issues cutting across divisions and to promote inter-divisional communication and exchange. For example, training workshops could be held for all DESA staff on key areas covered by the Department (e.g. FFD, gender, social and sustainable development, climate change, etc.) as a way to reduce fragmentation and enhance synergies between Divisions. Training in project management skills was also considered very important to improve performance and results.

• Some pointed to the limited technological capacity existing within the Department among staff –e.g. to use Excel, update websites or use the full functionality of Lotus Notes, the internet or even Microsoft. The result was a negative impact on efficiency and communication and a lack of appreciation for the potential of IT to improve work methods (e.g. working remotely) and to provide an important interface with the world (UN website).

• IT skills requirements, especially managing and updating websites, and research assistant requirements were also becoming increasingly more important in various offices across the organization and certainly within DESA.