Governments worldwide are embracing reforms to optimize resource utilization, enhance accountability, and increase transparency. Technological advances, while instrumental in improving public service delivery, highlight the necessity to upskill public-sector professionals and prioritize continuous improvement. To foster a high-performance public-sector culture through comprehensive training, the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) organized a face-to-face course on Development of Public-sector Productivity Specialists, 6–17 November in Manila. It was attended by 22 participants from 14 APO economies, including policymakers, officials, representatives of public-sector organizations, and NPO professionals involved in public-sector training and consultancy.

The two-week course was facilitated by three resource persons from Canada, the ROK, and the Philippines. It provided an overview of public-sector productivity in APO members, the APO Public-sector Productivity Framework, e-government, and tools for improving organizational productivity, citizen-centered service, and foresight. Participants also gained insights into regulatory reform, performance management, approaches to measuring public-sector productivity, change management, and the APO certification process for public-sector productivity specialists. The course included site visits to three public-sector organizations, Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Statistics Authority Region III, and Quezon City Government, providing practical insights into organizational productivity improvement.

As public-sector organizations grapple with increasing demand for high-quality services, the course addressed challenges related to accountability, customer orientation, and professional performance. By delving into diverse thematic areas affecting public-sector performance, participants learned how to meet citizens’ needs and elevate satisfaction with service delivery. The overall goal was to equip participants from different public-sector organizations with the knowledge and competencies essential for driving productivity growth while promoting a high-performance culture. It also contributed to developing and expanding pools of public-sector productivity specialists in APO member economies.