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* Development of skills, management and leadership capacity of local government organisations in Cyprus *
By Marios Constantinou
Training Officer A’
Cyprus Academy of Public Administration
The Cyprus Academy of Public Administration (CAPA) undertook the initiative to design and implement the project, “Training for the Development of the Management and Leadership Capacity of Local Government Organisations in Cyprus”. The project has a total budget of EUR 2.042.576, is co-funded by the European Social Fund (85%) and National Funds (15%) and has commenced in September of 2009. The participants comprise 1,500 elected and permanent officials from the following ranks: mayors, community leaders, councilors, general secretaries of municipalities and communities, senior or middle level managers and other staff.
The overall objective is to strengthen the administrative and leadership capacity of local authorities in Cyprus by training the elected and permanent officials. In addition to the training programmes, the project includes work-based improvement initiatives designed by the participants and implemented in their work environment. This latter objective will be achieved through the diagnosis of the learning and development needs of officials in the areas of management and leadership, and subsequently by satisfying these needs through training programmes.
Moreover, CAPA will be in a position to promote the managerial and leadership skills of local government officials on a continuous basis.
The project is subdivided into seven contracts awarded by open tenders:
1. Research for Best Practices in EU: The purpose was to identify and analyse the best training and development practices concerning management and leadership in local government in EU member states.
2. Learning and Development Needs Assessment: The purpose was to identify and prioritise the learning and development needs of Cyprus local government officers in the fields of management and leadership.
3. Network for the Management of Learning: The development of a network of local government officials for the management of learning aimed at enhancing the capacity of their organisations to autonomously and effectively manage their own learning and development. The set-up of such a network facilitates the sustainability of the overall project.
4. Technical Consultation: The purpose is to support CAPA in monitoring, managing and coordinating the project, as well as fulfilling its obligations to the European Social Fund.
5. Publicity Advisory Services: The purpose of these services is to advise CAPA on how best to promote the project to its target audiences, including the elected and permanent officials of local government authorities and the general public.
6. Training Activities: The aim is to implement a series of training programmes, tailored to the needs of officials in the local government organisations, as diagnosed through the learning and development needs assessment. The final training material has been categorised according to target group and theme. The whole training programme includes modular sessions and study visits.
7. External Evaluation: After the project’s completion, an external evaluation will be conducted to evaluate whether the project has achieved its goals and objectives.
As a conclusion, the implementation of this project is a great opportunity for creating a learning culture and offers the necessary tools for better governance in Cyprus local authorities.
