We are committed to provide quality training to support the training and development needs of all staff (civil service staff and non-civil service staff alike) and prepare them for the forthcoming changes in relation to title registration and various improvement projects. Through quality training we aim to help sustain a happy department that gives excellent service. The measure of quality in training is the confidence that all members of the Land Registry have in them and in the team they work with to be able to give outstanding service. From this comes the ability to perform at our best.


(A) Highlights of Training Activities arranged in 2007/08

Theme Training

The Land Registry is committed to strive for continuous improvement of service quality and value to our customers. To align the annual Staff Development Training with this objective, we have chosen “Quality – I pledge, Creativity – I Promise” as the training theme for 2007/08. The one-day workshop was designed for officers of all ranks and grades with the integration of briefings, games and activities. The interactive training helped enhance the participants’ understanding on the importance of continuous quality improvement in the context of analysis, judgement and creative problem solving.

Course on Knowledge Management

Apart from the annual development-training programme, a course on “Knowledge Management” was arranged for officers of all ranks and grades, aiming to equip them with the basic knowledge about Knowledge Management and provide them with a better understanding of the operation of newly developed Knowledge Management System (Registration) in the Land Registry.

Course on Change Management

To prepare our staff for the challenges of the implementation of title registration and other improvement initiatives, a specific course on “Change Management” was developed for officer grade staff to build up their confidence and increase their personal flexibility in adapting and leading changes in workplace.

Language Training

This year, the Land Registry provided a range of workplace Putonghua courses to help staff strengthening their proficiency in communicating with Putonghua. Lunch-hour and after office hour Putonghua courses at elementary, intermediate, advanced and conversational levels were arranged to suit the different needs of staff.

Exposure Talk and Briefing

We put much emphasis on equipping staff with professional knowledge and skills for meeting the forthcoming changes and development of the department. Throughout the year, exposure talks and briefing sessions had been arranged for our senior staff to broaden their knowledge and exposure on land-related issues, government framework and issues of general concerns.

Self–learning

To nurture a culture of self-learning, the department offers a wide range of self-learning packages for staff to choose from. All staff are granted one day e-learning whereby they are free from their office work to attend the e-learning programme at the departmental training unit. In addition, staff can feel free to choose a convenient time during non-office hours, e.g. lunch breaks at their office or after work at home, for self-learning. Besides, we have subscribed the e-Magazine of Language Key as an additional e-learning aid for on-going development of staff’s language skills. The e-Magazine can be easily accessed via the departmental portal or Internet.

(B) Staff Development Programmes

To broaden officers’ perspectives so that they can anticipate and meet new challenges, strengthen their communication and presentation skills and develop leadership capacity, a wide spectrum of staff development courses had been arranged. During the year,

• One Principal Land Registration Officer had attended the “Senior Executive Fellows Programme” at Harvard University of USA;
  
  
• One Chief Land Registration Officer had received senior management development training through attending the “Leadership in Action Programme” at the Civil Service Training and Development Institute;
  
  
• Two Senior Land Registration Officers had attended the “Management Development Program” at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology;
  
  
• Three Chief Land Registration Officers attended National Studies course at the renowned Peking and Tsinghua University in Beijing respectively;
  

• Two Senior Land Registration Officers attended the National Studies Course for Middle Managers at Peking University in Shenzhen; and
  
  
• One Chief Treasury Accountant attended the “Advanced National Studies Programme No. 14” at the National School of Administration in Beijing.
  

Apart from the development courses, attachment to overseas land registries had been arranged in the year to enable staff to gain insights into operation and management of land registration in other jurisdictions. These programmes included:

• One Senior Systems Manager was attached to Singapore Land Authority and Department of Sustainability and Environment of Melbourne, Australia to gain experience for developing the system for title registration and possible approaches to electronic lodgement and conveyancing; and
  
  
• One Principal Land Registration Officer and two Senior Land Registration Officers were attached to Registers of Scotland and Her Majesty’s Land Registry for England and Wales respectively to prepare for the implementation of title registration