Page 69 - URA Annual Report 2020-21

Building Our Capacity
The URA puts much emphasis on keeping our staff
abreast of the latest innovations while promoting
knowledge sharing within the organisation. Our
Learning Platform launched in June 2020 offers
a wide range of courses for our staff to acquire
different knowledge and skills that are beyond
their existing work functions. To enhance their
e-learning experience, internal eCourse and Story
creation power is being developed gradually. As
of 31 March 2021, 50 eCourse and Story editors
have been trained up with more than 90 eCourses
and Story had been published. As a result, more
than 4,000 training hours were generated which
accounted for 25% of the total training hours of
the URA. On average, each member of our staff
invested around six hours in eCourse and Story
learning and nearly 95% of them participated in online learning. These figures demonstrated that our staff have adapted quickly to the new learning mode, and are moving towards the formation of an online learning culture in the URA.
With the launch of the URIS, additional training focus has been put on equipping URA’s staff with knowledge of the Geographic Information System and data analytic skills. As of March 2021, more than 25 videos were produced and 14 training sessions were provided for over 430 users of the system, facilitating the creation of more than 360 web maps at work.
To provide a structured roadmap for our staff to build up their capacity, Divisional Career Ladders describing the minimum requirements for progression from the entry level to the most senior level of a position have been launched across divisions. The Career Ladders serve as an open source for staff to identify the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies needed to prepare for future career advancements. The Career Ladders will be updated regularly to ensure fast response to market and organisational changes.
In order to build up talent pools for key position succession, a Successor Identification Model has been developed to apply human resources data analysis to identify potential succession candidates for the managerial grade and above. Apart from this, various programmes have been put in place to establish the URA’s talent pipeline, such as the Future Leaders Programme that targets General Managers and Senior Managers, the Manager Development Programme for Manager level staff and the Job Rotation Program for Assistant Managers and Managers to gain cross-division exposure.
Attracting, Motivating, Engaging and Retaining the Right Staff
Facing a competitive labour market, the need for effective means to tap the right talent remains high. In order to attract, motivate and retain qualified and promising young professionals, a combined establishment at the Assistant Manager and Manager levels is used to enable an upward movement of staff. Professionals holding key strategic positions are closely managed to ensure a healthy career exposure and proper coaching.
A two-year Planner Trainee Programme has been launched to recruit fresh graduates of urban planning study with an aim to groom them into qualified urban planners who would be strategically important to our urban renewal process. Two planner trainees were recruited last year and have shown satisfactory progress.
To strengthen internal communication across the URA, 15 issues of the Quarterly Staff Newsletter have been published since its introduction in 2017. To minimise the health risk of COVID-19, our Staff Briefing Sessions and various staff activities were conducted virtually in 2020/21. In addition, our Staff Suggestion Scheme continues to invite ideas from staff members not only to improve work efficiency and effectiveness but also enhance the sense of belonging. Around 45% of staff suggestions were identified as inducing positive impact and were adopted in 2020/21.
URA staff are encouraged to acquire different knowledge through attending courses on the eLearning Platform.
URA ANNUAL REPORT 2020-21 65
Corporate Sustainability Management Discussion and Analysis Projects at a Glance Corporate Governance