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In its context upgrading human resources of public administration, the government is promoting a series of changes in the education and training of public servants, with the aim of better responding to the modern demands of the state and citizens. His bill Ministry of the Interiorwhich was presented yesterday to the cabinet, aims to reorganize and modernize the National Center for Public Administration and Self-Government (EKDDA), foresees a change in the way of introducing its future executives Public at the National School of Public Administration and the organization of the competition through ASEP, the transformation of the Training Institute into a Professional Development Academy that offers training throughout the employees’ working life. In addition, it is planned to establish a Leadership Academy that will offer specialized training to public administration officials in the form of a master’s degree to strengthen their leadership and administrative skills.
Strategizing
The ITEK (Research and Innovation Documentation Institute) of EKDDA is being upgraded to a Policy Innovation Laboratory, a research center tasked with devising a public sector development strategy based on research findings and good international practices. The goal is for each ministry to have better prepared people at its disposal, so that public policies are implemented more effectively, the Minister of the Interior emphasizes Theodoros Livanios.
EKDDA is the organization that has the responsibility for the training of civil servants and executives of the public administration and the operation of National School of Public Administrations, undertakes the training of civil servants and produces research through the Documentation Institute for the improvement of public policies. In recent years, the Ministry of the Interior has made a comprehensive change in the management of public human resources, gradually implementing thethe targeting system for each unit and at the same time linking the goal setting and the achievement of the objectives with the evaluation of the civil servants.
Through this system, the skills, but also the shortcomings of civil servants are identified, and thus targeted training seminars can be organized. The training of employees by EKDDA has already quadrupled compared to the previous five years and exceeded 400,000 from 2021-2026. In fact, through funding from the Recovery Fund, more than 287,000 trainings were implemented in critical areas, such as digital skills and artificial intelligence.
However, as analyzed in the cabinet, the EKDDA was not sufficiently connected to the real needs of the public administration as they have been especially shaped in recent years.
In principle, a modernization of the operation of the National School of Public Administration is required, a school where study lasts a total of about 18 months and from which approximately 80-120 graduate annually, who are distributed among ministries, independent authorities and other public bodies as senior and top executives.
The three stages
According to the provisions of the bill, it is enacted new input system under the responsibility of ASEP with three evaluation stages:
• Online tests of cognitive and analytical skills (linguistic, numerical and inductive reasoning, evaluation of situations).
• Online knowledge tests in Public Administration and Governance, Constitutional and Administrative Law or Data Analysis and Statistics, as well as in the English language.
• Personality test and group oral discussion to assess the skills of the single skill framework.
At curriculum subjects such as digital governance, artificial intelligence, public policy making, project management and leadership will also be included. Students of the School of Public Administration are expected to do internships in the presidency of the government and the ministries of National Economy and Finance, Interior and Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, so that graduates are better prepared for the needs of public services.
The Training Institute of EKDDA is transformed into a Professional Development Academy according to the bill. The training programs it will offer will be designed based on the results of the evaluation, the needs of the ministries and the priorities of the public administration.
The establishment of a Leadership Academy, finally, concerns the strengthening of the administrative and leadership skills of senior and top officials of the State through educational programs with themes such as leadership, human resources management, strategic planning and the implementation of reforms.
The bill also provides for the expansion of the sources of funding for the EKDDA by making use of European and international financial programs, with donations and sponsorships.
