SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT CENTRE HOSTED BY GOVERNMENT’S HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT UNIT

The Government of Montserrat’s Human Resources Management Unit (HRMU) within the Office of the Deputy Governor (ODG) hosted another successful Assessment Centre for Clerical Officers from May 26th to 28th 2021.

The Assessment Centre was organised for the purpose of evaluating the potential and performance of applicants to ensure a good fit for the post of Clerical Officer within the Public Service of Montserrat. Following the exercise, the candidates will be ranked and the top performers selected, pending the availability of vacant positions across Government Ministries and Departments.

As is standard, a job advertisement was published by the HRMU for 21 days on various traditional and online platforms. Fifty-two (52) candidates including recent school leavers, unemployed persons and temporary officers submitted applications. However, fifty (50) candidates completed the process and were evaluated against the Government of Montserrat’s competency framework for the Clerical Officer level.

The Government of Montserrat’s competency framework outlines the skills, behaviours and values that are required, recognized and rewarded with respect to specific roles within the public service. This is used as a mechanism for tracking the performance of employees in line with its Performance Management System (PMS).

This year’s Assessment Center was completely electronically assessed using the Human Resources Information System (HRIS), InSync, moving the Office of the Deputy Governor one step closer towards realizing its vision of harnessing digital technology in the modernization of the public service.

“At the core of this year’s Assessment Center was digital transformation.  The Human Resources Management Unit harnessed the power of digital technology through the electronic assessment of applicants.  Instead of the paper-based mechanism of scoring, panelists rated participants through InSync. Applicants were also able to complete their practical tests through the System—which is backed by real-time analytics to inform Learning & Development initiatives moving forward. This is a defining moment for Government of Montserrat, and served as a pilot for a more digitalized recruitment process which will be implemented shortly, stated Director of HRIS, Ms. Sherylene Dyer.

Commenting on the activity, Director of Learning and Development, Ms. Amuelle Kirnon said, “The event was well executed, our team was very supportive and there was a high level of engagement from the candidates. The approach offered increased efficiency in the completion of exercises and transparency in candidates’ ratings. The virtual nature of the sessions presents an opportunity for optimizing future evaluations and capacity building throughout the Public Service.”

The candidates were also invited to provide feedback after the session. “Everything was clear and on point”, said one applicant, “HR did a good job. They made us feel very calm, even the ones [who] were interviewing us. They were so calm and didn’t rush us”.

The activity was convened over a three-day period at the Montserrat Cultural Centre which was transformed to simulate a real work environment. The HRMU first used an Assessment Centre as an evaluation method in May 2019, however it was entirely paper-based. 

The HRMU would like to express gratitude to the panel of experts for their time and diligence in appraising the candidates in the competency based interview.

The panelists were Principal of the Montserrat Community College, Mrs. Geraldine Cabey; Deputy Financial Secretary Acting within the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Mr. Kenya Lee; Deputy Comptroller of Inland Revenue, Mr. Roland Irish; Former Head of the Training Division within HR and current Part-Time Lecturer at the Montserrat Community College, Mrs. Agatha Aspin; and Senior Assistant Secretary within the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ms. Denise Silcott.

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