ABSTRACT: This paper explores the necessity of enhancing office technology skills among professional secretaries in Nigeria, particularly in Kano State, located in the north-western region of the country. It advocates for human resource managers to prioritize selecting suitable capacity-building training programs for their secretarial staff. Furthermore, it suggests implementing mechanisms to ensure secretaries provide feedback post-training and establishing a system to verify their attendance. Employing an interpretative qualitative design paradigm rooted in phenomenological philosophy, the study aims to capture subjective meanings and individual interpretations shaped by social contexts. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with eight participants and analyzed using Nvivo 10 software. The paper underscores the significance of ongoing capacity building and human resource development for confidential secretaries, emphasizing the need for continuous growth to enhance their competencies. It recommends human resource managers to assess employee participation in training programs and to prioritize relevant skill development aligned with the secretarial profession. Additionally, it suggests that sponsorship for capacity-building initiatives should be limited to programs directly related to the secretaries' profession and conducted by reputable organizations.

Keywords: Human resource development, Office competencies, Optimal secretarial practice.