Career opportunities in the civil service are now more available than ever before thanks to a more flexible approach to recruitment and human resources management being implemented according to civil service head Stanley Oliver.

Mr. Oliver, who has been leading the implementation of recommendations of a 1999 review of the civil service carried out by the UK Civil Service, currently has about half a dozen civil servants acting in senior positions on six month rotations. And the most recent recruitment ads are designed to reflect less rigid requirements in terms of experience and qualifications for positions as high as permanent secretary.

A case in point is an ad placed two weeks ago in the official gazette which called for applicants for a range of positions at the department and permanent secretary level with a salary range of$104,081 - $124,124. Applicants were expected to have a university degree, management experience, diplomatic skills and a penchant for long and "unusual" hours.

"I thought that if I put in a generic ad it would get people from the private sector interested and show the variety of opportunities in the civil service," Mr. Oliver told The Royal Gazette.

Such senior positions in the past specified ten years experience and a graduate degree, but Mr. Oliver said his approach is more flexible so as not to discourage people who might have, say, eight years experience and a first degree.

He said reeling in people from the private sector would not displace any current civil servants because they would be contracted on for a fixed period.

"There are some wonderful opportunities in the civil service and wonderful opportunities to make a contribution to the country," he said.

Standards, and the quality of candidates, would not be lowered with more flexible requirements he said. "I am using flexibility in terms of years of experience and academic qualifications because we also do a fair amount of training," he said. And all Ministries have been asked to allocate funds for training.

"We're very keen on training. We realise our employees are our biggest assets and we don't want to turn people off."

Further, said Mr. Oliver, "In addition to the normal interview, there's likely to be assessment testing and a presentation in front of a committee I'll be chair of."

Mr. Oliver took over the job as head of the civil service from Leo Mills in the summer of last year. A career civil servant, he had previously served as the permanent secretary for the Works and Engineering department.

Both the chief architect and the chief engineer have acted in that capacity since then. And he has appointed a number of other civil servants to act as heads of departments or permanent secretaries in other Ministries.

"What we are providing is the opportunity for people to challenge themselves in a very senior capacity," he said.

He said that service does not necessarily have to be adversely affected by the rotations. "If anything it's improved it because you have people of particular strengths going into these ministries and bolstering up whatever weaknesses there are."

Premier Jennifer Smith has already issued a call for Bermudians to consider joining the civil service.

In a recent interview with ZBM's Jim McKey, she said :"I'm quite excited now at the training opportunities that Bermuda Government offers. We still need a lot of people...Bermuda and the Government needs the best help it can get and I think it's a wonderful idea for people to consider spending time in the public service."

Mr. Oliver said the need for new recruits is not any more critical now than in years past. "The civil service is just an organisation that will always need new blood on an ongoing basis," he said. "We're more conscious of succession planning and ensuring a smooth transition."