PRODUCTIVITY RISING: Instructor Jon Ng coaches HRA workers receiving Microsoft Office Specialist training at Local 1549’s new computer center.

Human Resources Administration employees are upgrading their skills and doing it on “company time.”

The career development subcommittee of the Quality of Work Life Committee at HRA planted the seed for the new program more than five years ago when they held a computer fair for employees.

The garden it grew in — Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549’s new computer training center — was an initiative of President Eddie Rodriguez that the union completed last year.

Wanda Williams, labor co-chair of the QWL subcommittee and a Local 1549 member, knew that the local had a new computer-training center. She followed up on the sub-committee’s desire to acquire new computer skills and contacted Instructor Jon Ng.

Since June 1, the HRA group has been meeting twice a week to receive Microsoft Office Specialist training from Mr. Ng, a certified Microsoft Master Instructor. The training includes Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

In addition to Ms. Williams, the class includes: Clerical Associate II Florine Watson, Local 1549; Eligibility Specialist III Donna McDuffie, Local 1549; Supervisor I Tetina Bunche-Evans, Social Service Employees Union Local 371; and Computer Specialist Ira Kurtze, Electronic Data Processing Personnel Local 2627.

“When we talk productivity with City Hall, we will be proud to take the mayor on a tour of our training center and show him how it is making our members more productive,” said Mr. Rodriguez.