Training Program Boosts Career Opportunities for Civil Servants

KABUL CITY – Fayaz Ahmad Sherzad, 29, is one of 600 applicants who participated in the entry exam for the Capacity Building for Results (CBR) Program's Mid-Level Management Development (MMD) Program conducted on May 31, 2015.

Sherzad is a Capacity Building Trainer with the Human Resource (HR) Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) in Kabul. He and his team have organized and conducted many capacity building/development training programs on the English language, computer programs, and management for MAIL’s central and provincial staff.

Sherzad, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Arabic Language from Kabul University, is keen to be part of the MMD Program. It is an excellent step and a golden opportunity, he says, as it aims to develop civil servants' capacity and career development, and most importantly, upon successful completion of the program, the graduates will be able to apply for higher positions within the civil service and take a vital part in providing good and improved services to the public.

The MMD Program is specially designed by the CBR team in coordination with the Afghan Civil Service Institute (ACSI) to build on the applicants' potential, and develop their competencies in leadership, policy and strategy development, project planning and management, public procurement, finance, human resources, and office management.

The 100 top scoring applicants (40 women and 60 men) will be enrolled in the 14-month long MMD Program designed to build their capabilities as mid-level managers. It will include both on-the-job and formal training, while participants continue their current jobs part time.  Successful completion of the MMD Program is the equivalent of a two-year work experience, and graduates can qualify for accelerated promotion across the civil service. 

The Capacity Building for Results Program (CBR) was formed in 2012 by the Government of Afghanistan with the aim to assist the government in improving the capacity and performance of core line ministries in carrying out their mandates and delivering efficient and quality services to the Afghan people.

CBR supports broad reforms in public administration at national and subnational levels, including restructuring, recruiting, and building the capacity of senior civil servants in required areas so that the government can achieve its objectives and targeted results. CBR also serves to consolidate key donor interventions into one project through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).