Nadir tells administrative professionals…
LABOUR Minister Manzoor Nadir said yesterday that, in today’s world, the bottom line is certification, not only experience.
He was speaking to stakeholders of Guyana Association of Administrative Professionals (GAAP), which hosted a seminar at Regency Suites Hotel on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, under the theme ‘Administrative Professionals Surviving the Challenges’. The seminar is one of the activities to mark the current Administrative Professionals Week 2010.
“When certain opportunities knock and you are not qualified, you will miss out on them. Most employers judge by the paper qualifications that a person carries. So, this is very important,” Mr. Nadir said in his address.
Against that background, he said individuals who begin careers in any field must never be content with being in one position, but rather enhance themselves through education and training.
“Training is extremely important. You must continue to better qualify yourself,” Nadir emphasised.
He questioned the rationale in spending four years at University of Guyana (UG) to secure a degree as against 10 years earning experience when some positions require either one of the two.
In that context, Nadir encouraged the participants attending the seminar to move up the ladder.
Apart from the relevant certification to advance in a profession, he maintained that another important prerequisite is the right attitude.
GAAP President, Ms. Donna Robertson concurred, pointing out that one of the main areas of her organisation’s focus is training.
“The role of our association is to ensure that our administrative professionals are trained,” she reiterated.
Robertson said, aside from the training done by GAAP, other necessary initiatives include the collaborative Administrative Professional Secretaries diploma course at UG.
She said similar observances are being held in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as other Caribbean countries with related associations.
Robertson said the purpose of GAAP is to elevate the standards of the secretarial and administrative profession, uniting for their mutual benefit those who are engaged in this field of work.
She said GAAP continues to maintain that mandate and manages training seminars to update and inform members of new and changing office technology and practice.
“The motto of the GAAP is Professional Services our Responsibility,” Robertson said.
The grouping of administrative professionals includes not only secretaries and administrative assistants but, generally, persons working in various supportive roles.