1. The role of training & capacity building in the modernisation of statistical systems
Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics: Caribbean Conference
Carol Coy
Statistical Institute of Jamaica

2. Introduction
“Human capital is probably one of the essential factors in the perspective of the modernization of statistics” 1
Statistical production requires specialized knowledge on subject matter statistics
Continuous staff training and development are therefore essential to maintaining and enhancing the capacity of a National Statistics Office (NSO)
1 Concept note- Regional/Sub-regional conferences on transformative agenda for official statistics

3. Introduction
Statistical capacity building still remains a challenge in the region despite assistance from International Development Partners

4. Current Situation
Adequate training is available in economic statistics in areas such as national accounts, prices, balance of payments, government financial statistics, tourism as well as in labour force statistics
Designated international agencies see these areas as critical to their work and so give priority to training

5. Current Situation Areas in need of support:
Social statistics, statistical infrastructure such as sampling, data analysis, survey management
Non-technical
Management & leadership
Communication
Report writing & presentation skills
Project management

6. Challenges Small size of statistical offices
limits the pool of knowledge in the organization- especially in specialised areas such as sampling
limits the available time for training
High staff turnover especially among technical staff including information technology
Difficult to compete with private sector or other high income countries in the region
Lack of succession planning

7. Challenges
Training is costly – usually cannot be accommodated in the limited budgets of NSOs
Needs of NSOs, given specialised nature of statistics, not being fully met by the local universities
Limited focus placed on exposing staff at the managerial level to soft skills such as leadership, change management, communication

8. Training/Capacity Building-STATIN
On the Job Training
New statisticians undergo 2-3 week training period at the start of employment. Focus is on subject matter area but there is some exposure to the work of other divisions
In-house experts facilitate training in areas such as SAS, database management, index number theory

9. Training/Capacity Building-STATIN
On the Job Training
Data Collection
Training is always undertaken prior to surveys
A comprehensive training programme for data collectors is done at periodic intervals to include areas such interviewing techniques, communication skills, data collection quality issues, security

10. Training/Capacity Building-STATIN
In-House training facilitated by external experts
Internally Funded e.g. Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Michigan. Areas of focus include sampling and data analysis techniques
Externally funded-poverty analysis, public speaking and presentation, supervisory management
A training component is usually included in technical assistance to ensure knowledge transfer

11. Training/Capacity Building-STATIN
Local External Training
Government of Jamaica sponsored training in areas such as
poverty mapping
small area estimation
project management
leadership

12. Training/Capacity Building-STATIN
Overseas Training
Targeted training that might not be available locally or regional for e.g. summer programs at University of Michigan
Regional/international workshops organized by international and regional bodies such as IMF, CARTAC, Caribbean Tourism Association, CARICOM, UNECLAC, STATCAN under the PRASC project, ILO.

13. The Way Forward
A strategic view must be taken on training and capacity building if transformation of NSOs/NSS is to be successful
There must be a clear and direct link between training and succession planning
NSOs will need to undertake a gap analysis to determine the skills and competences that are required to sustain the current and planned programs

14. The Way Forward
Regional training is the best option given the small size of NSOs in region. It is uneconomical for each country to develop its own national training system
South-south cooperation will also be critical, including attachments
NSOs must take advantage of e-learning. Examples; SEEA training by UNECLAC and UNWTO free online courses on tourism statistics

15. The Way Forward
Closer collaboration with regional universities to host short term courses geared at improving statistical skills
Training offerings beyond technical areas must be expanded to include those skills necessary for managing change and driving transformation such as leadership, management and communication.

16. The Way Forward
Increased investment is required from national governments to build statistical capacity
Governments should therefore implement the “Action Plan for Statistics in the Caribbean ” which was endorsed at the 37th meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in July 2016.

17. The Way Forward Specific Action Required
Action Plan Issue 1: “Governments should undertake the strengthening of the National Statistical Systems (NSS) and specifically the National Statistical Offices (NSO) “
Specific Action Required
Identification of training in statistics for staff of the NSO and NSS and priority given relative to the award of scholarships by Governments/International Development Partners (IDP)

18. The Way Forward
Action Plan Issue 2: “Governments should pursue the upgrading of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) base”
Specific Action Required
The training of statisticians as data scientists to make more effective use of IT and Statistics should be enabled.

19. The Way Forward
Thank You