Philip Armbrister and Chelina Williams-Allen were named Manager and Administrative Assistant of the Year respectively during the Fourth Administrative Professionals Awards Ceremony at Le Chateau on the Green on Wednesday during an elegant luncheon.

Hosted by the Ministry of the Public Service Northern Region Public Service Committee, the 12 nominees (four Managers and eight Administrative Assistants) were showered with accolades for exemplary work done in what was described as a thankless profession.

On hand for the occasion, Minister of Labour, National Insurance and the Public Service, the Hon. Shane Gibson said, "this year's theme is a particularly powerful statement which signals your deliberate intention to become active players in the development and transformation of Grand Bahama."

The theme, which was 'Public Service Administrative Assistants and Managers -- Professionals who Ignite Change,' is timely as the government's goals are to focus on the development of the country and Bahamians.

"Today, we are celebrating a few public officers on whom the highest honour, that of being recognized by their colleagues and by those whom they supervise is being bestowed. You are being recognized as professionals who are exemplars for [your] colleagues. You have displayed outstanding leadership qualities, you are self-motivated, goal-oriented and committed to doing your part to ensure that your Ministry or Department fulfills its mandate for efficient and effective service."

Minister Gibson further stated, "You are the government's most valuable resource. In today's dynamic and diverse world and in a Bahamas where the rate of development is rapid, you must ignite, embrace and remain open to change. The Bahamas does not compete with itself, but as is evidenced in the industries and mega-properties, we compete with the world."

He said a key area is customer service and change must be ignited in this area -- empathy, response time, accuracy, transparency and efficiency are all areas that must be addressed. As such, the Public Service Centre for Human Resource Development, the training arm of the Ministry of Public Service, is holding a series a workshops to equip telephonists, receptionists and clerical staff with the necessary skills to provide excellent customer service. The workshops started last week.

"It begins with each of us, the employees and managers making a positive difference in the lives of all persons with whom we come in contact."

Minister Gibson added that the government has also ignited change in the dissemination of information through technology and E-government. An example of this being the initiative taken by the Office of the Attorney General and the re-launch of the Bahamas Laws online website (laws.bahamas.gov.bs). This has given the public access to laws updated to December 2014, and he asked, "How can this be replicated in your Ministry or Department of Immigration, the Treasury, Social Services, Housing or the Health Authority?"

Through continuous training and in-house workshops, he said.

He said, "I must also use this opportunity to admonish you to not rest on your laurels. The skills we possessed yesterday, may not be relevant today no matter how good they were. Degrees earned yesteryear need refreshing. Policies and practices need review and in many cases updating or replacing. It is not good enough to do what we always did in a better way; we need to seek, become conversant with and implement best practices, industry and international standards for our work. I encourage you to find opportunities to improve your knowledge and skill sets."

Minister for Grand Bahama, Dr. the Hon. Michael Darville said as someone who came from the private sector, "I had no idea of the quality of workers that exists in the public service." Over the past three years, he said, he has had the opportunity to work with a cross section of people in the public service and he is "proud to be a part of a group of professionals who are dedicated and who are making serious strides to improve the quality of service we provide to the general public."

The Minister commended all of the nominees and encouraged them to stay committed to hard work. "You know there is a stigma that falls on all government employees and you have to shake that off. Because some people in the community believe that the only thing we do is go to work, sit down, drink tea, eat biscuit and go home.

"No way. There are serious individuals in this room who have contributed greatly to the growth and development of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and may never get recognition for it."

As representatives of the government, said the Minister, it is their responsibility to stand up and recognize the successes that have happened in the public service over the years.

The Manager of The Year nominees were: Philip Armbrister, Chief Security Officer of the Ministry of Health, Public Hospital Authority; Shanica Culmer-Ferguson, Officer-In-Charge, Ministry of Finance, Department of Inland Revenue; Olivia Blatch, Council, Ministry of Legal Affairs, Officer of the Attorney General; and Carol Martinborough, Senior Executive Officer, Department of Housing.

The Administrative Assistant nominees were: Sarah Bethel-Cooper, Senior Clerk, Ministry for Grand Bahama; Una Bethel, Senior Clerk, Department of Immigration; Annie Charlton, Executive Officer, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development; Patrice Darling, Officer Grade 1, Department of Immigration; Andrea Moss, Chief Clerk, Ministry for Grand Bahama; Eloise Percentie, Chief Clerk, Department of Immigration; Valerie Rolle, Chief Security Officer, Ministry of Health, Public Hospital Authority; and Chelina Williams-Allen, Chief Clerk, Ministry of Social Services and Community Development.

The judges for the event were Constance McDonald, chief judge; Donald Glass and Dr. Jean Turnquest.

As winner of the Manager of the Year award, Mr. Armbrister was presented with a cruise, and a one night stay at Old Bahama Bay. He was also selected as the Most Popular candidate, and won two round trip tickets to Nassau and a spa day.

Mrs. Allen also won a cruise along with a one night stay at Pelican Bay Resort.