Ninous Ashraf has worked with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands since 2000, and just over half of that time as a financial officer for the farming insurance program. 
When that program ended in 2005, she moved jobs and cities, growing her abilities as an Administrative Officer in Business Risk Management with the ministry. She graduated from the PCMP in October 2008. We interviewed her in Kelowna in December 2008.
Discovering the right tools
The first PCMP course just caught me; I was so interested in understanding the ins and outs of contracting, being in line with the policies of the government and being fair to the vendor community. For me, the greatest point of being a public servant is being of service to the public. And that could also be my co-workers. It could be contractors. For me to be able to do that, I needed to have the tools. The PCMP was one of the greatest tools I came across. The knowledge and skills I acquired through PCMP have greatly improved my job performance.
The importance of inclusion
What was really wonderful with PCMP was this network of great professionals who were all ready to share their experience and learning with me, whether it was the instructors or the learners. That’s what I loved about the program: I learned as much from the instructors as from my colleagues.
I always establish relationships with the people I work with. That personal relationship of mutual respect and appreciation creates the opportunity for me to use that in the service of the branch.
During the year, as we are doing the contracts, I encourage everybody to share their ideas and frustrations and the things that are and are not working - even feedback from suppliers. I collate them into a document. Just before we send out the sample contract for the bidders for the pre-qualified bidders’ meeting, we make all those changes in the contract. It’s very inclusive.
Better learning from better instruction
The PCMP has given me a much broader base of knowledge. And they should be congratulated for that, because they have created a system in which, not only are they giving very interesting, captivating material, but they also create this sense of community and collaboration. The sense that we are not alone and we can help each other. I used to be an ESL teacher. The PCMP is the way I thought instruction should be.
Ninous Ashraf
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Land
(250) 861-7505
