Postal staff achieve globally recognised certification

EMPLOYEES of the Barbados Postal Service (BPS) are equipping themselves to work in the fast-paced business environment of the 21st century.

Recently, 12 staff members achieved globally recognised certification by successfully completing various TRAINPOST courses – a programme administered by the United Nations special agency for Posts, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) aimed at enhancing the proficiency of postal workers.

Deputy Postmaster General, International Postal Affairs and Business Development, Margaret Ashby, congratulated those graduates during a recognition ceremony held at the General Post Office, Cheapside, Bridgetown. She commended them for recognising the importance of such training, which focused on International Postal Systems, Addressing and Postal Codes, Customs, Quality of Service Fund, Cost Accounting, Project Management, Express Mail System, International Financial Systems and Postal Financial Systems.

“All of this is postal specific. We are well aware that we have officers who come into the organisation well qualified to work in the business world, but not necessarily qualified to work in the postal world and that is the reason for TRAINPOST courses.”

Ashby observed that with global letter mail volumes declining by 2.6 per cent in 2014, Posts are continually being challenged to provide relevant services in a changing market place.

“This recognition continues a trend in which postal staff, at all levels, are honing their skills through training programmes to better equip personnel to meet the demands of the 21st century consumers… Last week, nearly 50 postal managers and other senior staff from the Caribbean and Latin America attended an E-Commerce workshop, organised by the UPU, Caribbean Postal Union and the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal at the Caribbean Postal Training Centre here in Bridgetown.”

“Integral to e-commerce facilitation is the need for staff to be trained in various aspects of postal operations. One has to be in place to enable the other and as TRAINPOST was developed to harmonize postal operations in the effort to standardise the quality of Posts across the world, it is important for staff members to be thoroughly familiar with international postal operations, especially obligations,” she noted.

The Deputy Postmaster General also took the opportunity to encourage other members of staff to participate in this training.

“It will not only assist the post in meeting its international obligations, but this certification is recognised internationally,” she pointed out. (TL)