Department of Government

Faculty of the Social Sciences

Rochelle A. Reid and Marcus M. Mullings

The Public Sector Management Programmes offered at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, have played a central role in building problem-solving capability and management capacity in the various public services of the Caribbean region. Over a sustained period, these and complementary programmes tenable at the St. Augustine and Cave Hill campuses have been the main conduits of specialized and advanced training of public sector managers. Even with the continued relevance of these programmes, socio-economic and political developments in the domestic and global arenas demand that institutions of learning keep pace with the evolving nature of public administrative theory and practice, and reflect current pedagogical developments in teaching methodology.

Committed to the philosophy that “the teaching and learning of public administration/public sector management should be grounded in relevant and appropriate theoretical frameworks, and, be sensitive to politico-administrative practice”, the Department of Government through its Public Sector Management Unit (PSMU) continues to seek opportunities that will assure that teaching and learning achieve a balance between discipline and practice: The Public Sector Management Internship Programme is one such innovation aimed at providing students with the requisite work-ready skills through structured, work-based learning in industry during their studies.

Rochelle A. Reid and Marcus M. Mullings were among the first group of students to participate in the internship programme that was piloted during the summer of 2009.