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The Voice - Summer 2009

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This and that…

Summer is traditionally the time of year when you can expect the pace to slow down a bit, but here at the ORO, things are actually speeding up.

As many of you may already know, the Government of Canada welcomed its new CIO, Corinne Charette, on May 4th.  Corinne has wasted no time in getting to know the portfolio and the wealth of knowledge and experience she brings is sure to add a new dimension to the position.

Speaking of CIOs…planning is underway for the CIO Bootcamp, to be hosted once again as part of the GTEC activities in early October.  This is a full day event that offers up-and-coming CIOs the opportunity to hear about the hottest IM and IT issues from the people currently in the top jobs.  It’s been a sellout event for the past 2 years so be sure to register soon.

However, right now I encourage you to take advantage of the weather, find a shady spot, and take a moment to read about what we’ve been up to in the ORO.  See you in the fall.

Nikolas Florakas
Director General, ORO

CIO Executive Summit 2009

The CIO Executive Summit, held June 8th to 10th in Cornwall, Ontario, once again brought together IM and IT executives from across the federal government who rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on, priority setting event. 

One of the highlights of the conference was Tuesday evening’s keynote address by Vivek Kundra, CIO for the White House.  Joining the event by video conference he outlined a number of ambitious initiatives with aggressive timelines for the upcoming year.  It’s clear that Canada and the U.S. face some common challenges and perhaps can find opportunities for sharing information to help improve service to citizens.

Progress on PDAP

The Professional Development and Apprenticeship Program (PDAP) is a 2-phase, competency-based program designed to help CS-01 employees develop the experience and skill sets necessary to move to the CS-02 level, and CS-02 employees to move to the CS-03 level.  Departments and agencies who choose to adopt PDAP will have the option of participating in one or both of these stages.

Organizations who have volunteered their time are testing some components of the program.  This will ensure that PDAP’s tools and processes are ready for application government-wide when the program is formally launched.  More information will be available later this fall, so stay tuned.   

IM Competencies Standard

The ORO is pleased to announce that the Competencies Standard for the Federal Government Information Management Community has now been published by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB).  We would like to thank our partners at the CGSB as well as all of the departments who participated

The Standard outlines the knowledge, skills and abilities required by IM professionals today and in the future and is the basis for development of the IM Certification Program being led by the ORO.  A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has already begun working on the elements of the program and will continue to meet during the summer.  An update on this work will be provided in our next edition.  Copies of the Standard may currently be purchased on the CGSB Web site  or through the Canadian General Standards Board Sales Centre at 819-956-0425 or toll-free at 1-800-665-2472.

The ORO is looking into providing electronic access to the Standard.

Another Successful Job Fair

The second annual Post-Secondary IT Recruitment Campaign concluded with a job fair in Gatineau, Quebec on June 16th and 17th.  Fourteen departments and agencies had the opportunity to meet with over 200 successful candidates in order to determine the “right fit” for their available positions. 

While job offers are still being wrapped up, it is anticipated that the Government of Canada will have welcomed over 100 candidates into careers with the public service by the end of the summer.

Kudos to Canadian Heritage!

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the IT Community Generics Working Group at Canadian Heritage on winning their department’s Deputy Minister’s Award for Creativity.  Working together to implement IT Community Generics, this interdisciplinary team consists of a cross section of employees from the Knowledge, Information and Technology Services Branch, the Human Resources and Workplace Management Branch, representatives of the bargaining agent (PIPSC), as well as an advisor from the ORO.

According to Donna Wood, CIO, “This is an excellent example of how commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach proves its worth.”  “The inclusion of the Bargaining agent and the open transparency of the process, from day one, have proven to be both effective and efficient.”

Well done, everyone.

Contact Us…

Your comments are always welcome. Please e-mail us at: oro-bgc@tbs-sct.gc.ca

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.
Frank Herbert
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