Almost 72% of state employees have not attended, in recent years, professional training courses to improve their skills at work, especially digital ones, according to a survey conducted by APSAP Training Centre, although state institutions are obliged by law to invest in the constant training of employees for increased efficiency in public administration. Also, only 0.1% of civil servants are interested in digital and IT&C skills courses. Thus, specialists warn that state personnel risk being less and less qualified for the job and not adapting to the changes brought by technology and digitalization.
The survey of APSAP Training Centre was carried out on a sample of 3,985 employees from the public sector, from urban and rural areas in Romania, after they participated in a free professional training program, and shows worrying data. Specifically, 47.2% of respondents stated that they had not participated in any other physical training program, and almost 24.6% answered that they had not participated in any other online training program. According to the legislation in force, public sector employees have a right and an obligation to participate at least once every 2 years in professional training courses to advance in their position, according to Art. 479 and Art. 458 of the Administrative Code and Art. 197 of the Labor Code.
“Although the law requires improving the skills of public administration employees, this is not respected in all state institutions, with the effect of reducing the number of civil servants trained for day-to-day work. The development of staff skills should become a priority of public institutions and organizations, both for the professional and personal development of employees, as well as for a better relationship with citizens and, implicitly, for increasing efficiency in public administration. It is not only digital skills that are lacking, but there are also gaps in knowledge regarding legislative changes and updates, necessary for the smooth running of the activity. To update professional skills and develop the skills of state employees, Centrul de Formare APSAP offered public institutions a complete program free of charge, consisting of 11 training sessions in various fields, including Human Resources in the Public Sector, Internal/Managerial Control Systems, Communication in Public Administration, Accessing European Funds, but also Public Procurement, which was attended by almost 4,000 people from the whole country. Learning, however, is a continuous and necessary process for any employee, in the public or private sector, and the conducted survey highlights a critical situation and a reality that affects each of us individually. Therefore, urgent measures are needed from the Romanian state for the support of its employees, but also for increased efficiency in the current activity”, declares Bogdan-Costin FÂRȘIROTU, founder and president of Centrul de Formare APSAP.
Regarding participation in training programs, the survey carried shows that almost 26% of civil servants attended only one training course with a physical presence, and 23% only one online course; 13% participated in two courses with physical teaching, and 19% in those with online teaching; 5.4% attended 3 courses with physical teaching, and only 10% attended three online courses.
Employees from town halls and other rural institutions are little interested in training
Even though the free training program was sent to all central and local public institutions in the country, the enrollment rate was low in rural areas. While over 80% of the participants are from the urban environment, only 17.4% of the employees from public institutions in the communes and villages participated in free training courses, although in the rural environment, there is a great need to adapt to the digital environment, points out Bogdan-Costin FÂRȘIROTU. Thus, the APSAP expert says that this imbalance raises a big alarm signal regarding the information that reaches public sector employees who live outside urban areas, but who must be aware of legislative changes, but also of the opportunities that the market offers them.
Although through continuous training, civil servants can advance in their position and thus achieve an increase in income, the survey results show that the majority of respondents earn less than they think they deserve and less than the EU average. Currently, most of the state employees (43%) answered that they have a monthly income of 700 euros – 1,000 euros. More than a quarter of them fall into the category of monthly income between 1,000 euros – 1,500 euros, and almost 13% of them have incomes between 400 euros and 700 euros.
In the opinion of most state employees (90%), a motivating monthly income is at least 1,000 euros. More than a quarter of them believe that they should earn 1,000-1,500 euros monthly, and almost 40% say that their monthly income should be in the range of 1,500-2,000 euros.
Thus, Bianca-Florentina ZICHIL, Process Improvement Director of Centrul de Formare APSAP, points out that, even if they get a salary increase, the monthly income of employees in Romania will still be far below the EU average, more precisely by 6-8 times lower than the average salary in other EU countries, which falls between 3,000 euros and over 7,000 euros per month, according to Eurostat data.
What skills do state employees want to develop?
When asked about the skills they would like to develop, over 36% of state employees answered that they are targeting human resources courses, 33% want courses to access European funds, a quarter of them want ethics, integrity courses and anti-corruption, 27% accounting courses, and 12.5% social assistance. At the opposite pole, only 2 respondents out of almost 4,000, i.e. less than 0.1% of the total survey participants, answered that they would like to develop their digital skills, IT&C, psychology, discrimination and equal opportunities, internal communication, food safety, information protection, or others.
Regarding the level of digital skills that the respondents have, according to the answers received, the level is average. Although 63% of participants mention that they use Excel frequently, about 78% have only average knowledge of digital skills.
“Regarding the fields of improvement desired by civil servants, it was observed that they do not show interest in improving skills in the field of digitization and IT&C. From this point of view, one can understand why most of the processes carried out by citizens in contact with public institutions require physical presence and bureaucracy. To improve the procedures and the entire system, the digitization of the services offered should be considered, as well as the automation of standard procedures, to make both the lives of citizens and the work of employees easier. In an era where almost everything can be digitized, digital skills are an essential asset, requiring constant improvement to achieve a high level of professional performance. Training programs provide opportunities for employees in both public and private sectors to improve their digital skills, which are indispensable in today’s professional environment. Although many of the activities provided by public institutions could also be carried out digitally, electronically, the lack of skills impedes the development of such online functionalities“, explains Bogdan-Costin FÂRȘIROTU.
At the same time, in the context of accelerated digitization, innovation in the state system should be a priority. The investment in process automation is small but has a huge impact. By implementing digital platforms and smart work tools, the need for citizens to physically travel to counters is considerably reduced, allowing them to access services simply and quickly, from anywhere and at any time. This transition to digitization not only optimizes administrative processes but also increases transparency and efficiency in the provision of public services, contributing to building a more connected and inclusive society, points out Bianca-Florentina ZICHIL.
What government employees think they can get through courses
Regarding the motivation for participating in training courses, 91% of employees in the public system believe that they can acquire new skills, useful in their work, and 46% believe that they can develop useful skills on a personal level. Also, 42% of respondents believe that it helps them to complete their portfolio of training activities, while 28% would attend such courses to socialize and meet people in their field of activity.
In choosing a professional training program, the most important thing, from the data obtained, would be the topic addressed (77%), followed by the individual training needs (67%), the certification obtained (37%), the facilities offered by the way of organization (32.6%), but also by the prestige of the trainer/organizer (over 25%).
State employee profile: only 14% of respondents are young, under 35 years old
More than 80% of the people participating in the survey are women, and 83% of all respondents live in the urban environment. At the same time, in terms of education level, 52% have master’s degrees, and 40% have bachelor’s degrees. Also, 80% of survey respondents do not hold a management position.
In terms of age, the majority of the surveyed public, 55.6%, fall into the category of over 45 years, and 30% in the age category of 36-45 years, which suggests that for young people employed in the public system, the interest in courses training is low. Only 14% of respondents are between 18 and 35 years old, an alarming aspect that may indicate a difficult employment process with multiple requirements and competitive tests, bureaucracy, low digitalization, and innovation, or difficult advancement possibilities.
At the same time, considering the results, it is noted that people with seniority and experience in the field of work are aware of the fact that they must constantly improve their knowledge, update their information, be aware of legislative changes, and expand, through networking, the circle of knowledge, which is active in the same sector or even field.
Regarding the level of experience of the surveyed participants, it was noted that almost half (47%) have been employed in the institution for more than 10 years, 21% for 5-10 years, 23% for 1-5 years, and 8.3% less for a year. This finding, together with the fact that the majority are over 45, suggests that public sector employees prefer to remain in the same institution until retirement age.
Another aspect to consider is that over 70% of public sector employees prefer to attend training in the early part of the day, which overlaps this attendance with work hours. From this perspective, we can conclude that there is a possibility that they are neglecting one of the two activities that they have to perform.
Thus, there appear to be multiple obstacles to the effective participation of civil servants and other government employees in vocational training programs, including lack of interest, accessibility difficulties and conflicting participant preferences. These aspects must be addressed and resolved to ensure adequate professional development and to respond to the ever-changing requirements of the public administration in Romania.
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