HRD And Globalization: Improving Competencies at the Local Government Level

The globalization process has affected to a large extent the way of life of the individual citizens and the communities. This, in turn, has generated new institutional challenges for local institutions and has given rise to a set of complex needs and problems from the communities. As a local institution considered to be the closest to the community residents, local government has to respond to such needs and challenges to be able to serve well their interests and concerns. In responding to such challenges, local government’s role has to go beyond being a service provider. It has to be an enabler by providing the right kind of environment where the community will grow and flourish into a vibrant economic and social unit. The changing role of local government in the governance of communities has highlighted strongly the need to develop human resources at the local level to cope with the enabling functions of the local government. In relating directly with the community, the local government personnel must have the necessary skills and knowledge to better serve the residents ’ needs and concerns. With the changing concept of local governance, the local government personnel should be qualified and highly trained for their enabling or facilitative functions. A basic question that is raised is, do they have the competence to perform the enabling functions of local government? Focusing on the case of the Philippines, this paper will attempt to respond to the above concern. It will examine the needs, issues and problems of HRD in relation to the changing concept of local governance in the context of globalization. It will also look into the competencies of local government personnel vis-à-vis their expected new roles or functions in facilitating local or community development. The challenges for local government to develop its human resources to enable it to exercise more effectively its enabling role will be discussed. Some policy implications will be raised in the paper as well as some measures will be presented to improve competencies at the local level