The Minister of Labour and the Public Service the Hon. Pia Glover-Rolle said this Government Administration is dedicated to expanding opportunities for Bahamians through Labour and the Public Service.
The Public Service Minister said an example of this is the recently launched National Public Service Scholars Programme, a pioneering collaboration between the public service and the University of The Bahamas.
“This signature programme was initiated by the Permanent Secretaries of the Public Service, to inspire young Bahamians to pursue a career in the public sector,” she said during her Contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
“It reflects our commitment to fostering excellence in public administration and marks a strategic step in deliberate succession planning while building a 21st century public service with dynamic, innovative, well-equipped young professionals.”
The Minister explained that in recent years, the Government has faced challenges in attracting and retaining qualified public officers at the middle and senior levels.
“This has resulted in what some describe as a ‘hollow middle’ in which we have sufficient people at the very top and at the bottom but not enough workers at the middle levels. The situation has been further complicated by an aging public service.”
She said the establishment of this programme is a strategic move to address these challenges, ensuring that the next generation of public-sector leaders are cultivated to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and dedication needed to drive progress.
“This is a part of our wider efforts to ‘fix’ the issues with government recruitment, hiring, onboarding, professional development, promotions, and succession planning processes.”
The Public Service Minister said, “We view these various initiatives – the promotions backlog efforts, the revamped Public Service Professional Engagement Programme (PS-PEP), the establishment of defined career pathways, and the many other ongoing initiatives as part of a cohesive whole with one goal in mind: to create a public service that our best and brightest, the most qualified candidates, and up and coming young people actually want to join, stay, and grow in, because it represents a compelling opportunity for career growth, professional development, and, most importantly, a chance to make a difference in our nation.”
