17 Land Commission officials received their certificates in artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital tools in workplace after completing their flexible 4-day training at the International Training Institute’s (ITI) Badili campus in Port Moresby last Thursday, August 21.
The staff, made up of lawyers, registry officers, GIS officers, administrative officers and senior management, proudly received three certificates each.
The programme covered three main areas; Introduction to AI, AI for Office Productivity, and Data Visualization and Building Dashboards.
Speaking during the certificate presentation the Chief Commissioner of the Land Commission, Molean Kilepak, said the training was important as the commission was a newly-established entity following the transformation of the former Land Titles Commission and National Land Commission.
He said the new commission sees the need for its staff to be prepared to use modern technology to improve their work.
“So, we decided that we should conduct training for our staff to better prepare us for the new emerging ICT trends, particularly the development of AI and how it is influencing changes in the workplace,” Mr. Kilepak said.
The Chief Commissioner said that the court and government asked the commission to deal with major land matters, including the Kainantu Gold Mine and the Gobe petroleum project land issues.
These matters require officers to go through large amounts of information and land records before preparing reports and making recommendations.
Mr. Kilepak said AI and other digital tools could help officers analyze information and improve the way they work.
He said therefore, the commission considered choosing ITI before several other training providers because of its flexibility and experience in providing such courses.
“We completed three courses during the week, and it is an important tool that will assist the office greatly,” he said.
Mr. Kilepak said the commission also had six full Microsoft Copilot licenses for selected officers but had not been able to fully use the service.
He said the training would help officers make better use of the licenses and other available digital tools too.
The Chief Commissioner thanked ITI and the trainer for conducting the training.
He described the training as a valuable learning experience for the officers and for him personally as well.
The Commissioner recommended that similar AI training be made available to other government departments and non-government organisations.
He also called for the programme to be considered as part of the induction training for public servants.
“There are currently programmes being run at SILAG focusing on other aspects of good governance and leadership, but I believe this particular programme should also be part of it,” he added.
Mr. Kilepak said the Land Commission is now looking forward to signing a memorandum of understanding with ITI so that the training could continue beyond the four-day programme.
He said the Commission wanted the training to become a regular refresher and development programme covering AI and other relevant technologies.
The officers are expected to apply the skills gained from the training to improve productivity and the handling of land-related information within the Commission.