Training is an important human resources management (HRM) function, especially for skills that quickly become outdated for public organisations aiming to keep a stable workforce. Most Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries tend to give training a prominent role. However, due to complexity and scale, its design and execution are challenging and depend on several aspects, such as the co-ordination and execution of training, the design of training supply and the training curricula.
In LAC, there are two main management models for the co-ordination, and execution of training activities. In 67% of the cases there is a single institution whose function is to co-ordinate, promote and administer training for the entire central administration. In the remaining 33%, these responsibilities are delegated to ministries/departments. Among OECD countries, 31% centralise training responsibilities in one institution; in 69% they are shared.
In addition, 83% of LAC countries formulate a government-wide training strategy (only in Chile and Guatemala are there more differentiated strategies per ministry or agency), compared to 64% of OECD countries (as reported in 2019).
LAC and OECD countries use similar instruments to design the training supply. The detection of training needs is based on an assessment of government programmes and priorities (75% of LAC countries and 67% of OECD), and performance appraisal (67% of LAC and 69% of OECD). This reflects an intention to connect training, the capacities of civil servants and the productivity of the public sector. Both in LAC and OECD countries, the preferences and self-perception of the civil servants are considered as inputs to structure the supply of training. Most of the LAC countries use employee surveys (53%). In OECD countries, 39% use self-assessments when deciding on training needs. In Guatemala, managers report on the training needs of their employees.
There is an increasing interest in LAC countries in developing online training (92%) to extend coverage and reduce direct costs. Having a whole-of-government training strategy was highlighted by 58% of the respondents. In terms of areas, 58% expressed that executive leadership training is a priority, while 50% are interested in IT/digital skills. Among OECD countries, a larger proportion prioritises developing executive leadership (68%), thus targeting a very specific employee segment. Developing online training is also an area of focus (58%).
In terms of training new employees, 67% of LAC countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay) have standardised plans for them (although in the case of Mexico and Peru they vary among ministries). Additionally, 33% of LAC countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia and the Dominican Republic) differentiate training by seniority level, and in 17% (Brazil and Jamaica), only some employees receive an initial training. Only El Salvador does not offer any standardised training to new employees. In the OECD, 28% of countries offer a standardised training for all employees, 25% offer differentiated training and 31% only train some employees. Additionally, in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, civil servants must attend a specific training school before being employed as such. No LAC country reported having such a type of initial training.
Finally, training in LAC countries is mainly relevant for the professional development of civil servants. In 67% of LAC countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Uruguay), training is a requirement to be eligible for promotions, while it has almost no impact on other incentives such as pay increases while remaining in the same post (17%) or benefit allocations (0%). This trend is similar to the OECD, but much more attenuated, since training only impacts on promotions in 31% of the countries.
