Government's six Permanent Secretaries will attend a three-day intensive series of training workshops this week at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel. Andrew Wyatt, a consultant with the United Kingdom's Civil Service College will facilitate the workshop with Chris Cross, an independent consultant, according to a press statement from the Department of Communication and Information.

Civil Service head Stanley Oliver said that the training will be the "first wave of training that will cascade down throughout all government departments."

The workshops will start today and are designed as part of the Permanent Secretaries' professional development.

"The timing of this week coincides with the results of the Civil Service Opinion Survey which presents some important challenges for all of us tasked with leadership within the Civil Service," said Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater.

"Investing in our development at this time is in itself a visible demonstration of our commitment to respond to those challenges."

Permanent Secretaries "play an essential part in the achievement of the Government's programme and the delivery of public services to the people of Bermuda," Mr. Oliver said. "They constitute the interface between the political vision and direction provided by the Premier and her Cabinet, and the operations which are highly visible to the public from day to day."

At the sessions, the top civil servants will review the requirements of their jobs, identify "best practices" and "reflect critically on their own practice."

They will also be expected to come up with a "clear statement of what more they need to do individually or collectively to ensure that they are meeting the needs of Government as fully as possible".