The Institute > Main Activities

Training

The Institute has been active in training since 1996, and has since trained over 7700 employees from all Ministry directorates, as well as other Ministries in Lebanon.
Today it is one of the leading training public institutions in Lebanon and the Arab region.
Its curriculum is comprehensive and ranges from basic skills training for all employees in the areas of languages (Arabic, English and French), and basic computer skills, to specialized seminars in public finance, public expenditure management, customs controls, law, etc. In the latter area, the Institute utilizes the services of a wide range of expertise drawn from its network of relations with Lebanese and regional universities and institutions.

The on demand as well as on supply training courses cover the following areas:

• Preparation to Civil service board entrance exams
• Induction Training for New Recruits of the Ministry of Finance
• Continuous Training
• Technical Training 
• Languages Training
• Information Technologies Training
• Outreach training

Since 2003, the Institute became a resource center for other lebanese public institutions and has been instrumental in training staff in ministries of finance in various Middle East and Arab region countries.
The Institute has been also successful in building partnership schemes with specialized local, regional and international institutions, including the World Bank. This has included facilitating international training for staff of the Ministry of Finance.

Advisory role in Human Resources management 
 
The capacity building of current staff and the preparation of the next generation of leaders at the MOF is the responsibility of the Institute of Finance - Basil Fuleihan Institute for Economy and Finance (IOF).

Since its creation, the Institute supported the MoF's Human Resources Management  strategies through:

• Playing an advisory role on placement of new staff, including assessment of capabilities and qualifications through examination, evaluation, interviewing, and advising on placement of new staff and formation of new units
• Establishment of newly formed units such as the LTO and the VAT: The IOF had a significant advisory role in the selection of the core team units and their placement in corresponding posts, along with providing the team with the training to better assume their posts. Four of the most qualified new recruits from the 2000, and 2 from the 2002 intake were selected to form the tax research and analysis unit.
• Organization of internal placement procedures, including advertisement of vacant positions, definition of terms of reference and qualifications, organization of selection procedures and recommendations to management.
• Continuous implementation and improvement of human resource development strategy, including the promotion of a new conceptual and strategic approach to human resources development at the sector level, and proposals for human resources management audits. The IOF is in this respect the channel of an EU funded consultancy to devise a strategic plan for modernizing the HR functions at MOF major directorates, and develop tools to implement this strategy in alignment with existing laws and regulations
• Development of an operational action plan, which converts the proposed strategies into appropriate practical steps in the short and medium run, ready for decision taking, including detailed recommendations with regard to all activities noteworthy of which the development of a manpower planning that serves as a decision making tool for any future recruitment action. The tool would also help monitor and follow-up training needs linked to individuals’ potential career paths and competencies
• Personnel development/management training plan for top and middle-level employees

Communication

Effective communication between the MOF, the media and the public as well as reliable and timely relay of information is especially important for the MOF to build support, achieve its goals, and implement its policy and reform agenda.
The MOF is aware that a relationship that stresses a free flow of information between the MOF, the media and the public is a key factor of success (or key element) in the context of the overall institutional reform needs of the Ministry. The IOF is building its capacity to handle external communication and public awareness activities on behalf of the MOF, through the following:

• Publication of an internal newsletter, Hadith El-Malia;
• Organization of events & regional and international conferences;
• Publication of manuals & guides among which the citizen guides that aim at raising public awareness;
• Follow-up on customer satisfaction surveys ; 
• Youth programs;
• Organization of Joint Consultation Committees between public and private sector;
• The  Library of Finance;
• Development of a strong relationship with the media and media coverage through the press releases.

 Consult IOF Brief