IRISH PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND SELECTION

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IRISH PUBLIC SERVICETRAINING AND SELECTION

• John Cullen
• Budapest
• 24 April 2009

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SCHEME OF PRESENTATION

• About the Irish Public Service
• Recruitment
• Progression
• Training and Education
• Selection and Training Challenges and
  Opportunities

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THE IRISH PUBLIC SERVICE

• Small by developed country standards
• Civil Service (38k), local govt (40k), state
  agencies (166k), Education (94k), police (13k)
  defence (11k)
• Westminster model
• Apolitical public service/political appointments
  extremely limited

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THE IRISH PUBLIC SERVICE(2)

• Recruitment heavily regulated
• Post entry training and education largely
  unregulated
• Since independence, high emphasis on probity in
  recruitment
• The gifted amateur highly valued, though NPM
  increasing specialisation in Finance, ICT and HR
• Traditionally, good policy advisors reached the
  top in civil service management skills now
  emphasised

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IRISH PUBLIC SERVICE (3)

• Little movement across the different parts of the
  public service
• Strategic Management Initiative (NPM)
• Major analysis by OECD last year

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RECRUITMENT

• Recruitment at all levels in public service
  heavily competency based
• Significant emphasis on recruitment at low levels
  and progression through ranks
• However, most very senior jobs now open to all,
  but
• Professionally qualified staff recruited at
  different and usually higher levels
• Civil service and police entry level recruitment
  usually carried out centrally, otherwise locally

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PUBLIC SERVICE RECRUITMENT STRUCTURES

• Public Appointments Commissioners
• Regulates all public service recruitment
• Public Appointments Service
• Public service recruitment agency which recruits
  civil servants and police centrally
• Heavily involved also in competitions for
  progression
• Recruits for senior levels and specialist
  appointments in local government and health
  service

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PROGRESSION

• Nearly all promotions by competition
• A significant and growing proportion of
  competitions open to all civil servants
• Nearly all in local govt and health sectors open
• Special arrangements for senior civil servants
  (Top Level Appointments Committee)

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TRAINING AND EDUCATION

• No formal requirement for training/ informal
  nature of Irish public administration favours
  networking rather than formal learning
• But entry qualification requirements for
  promotions are a stimulus to training and
  education
• And national agreements with social partners set
  a target of 4 of salaries for training
• Performance management system informs training
  needs

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TRAINING PROVIDERS

• Two specialist public service providers Civil
  Service Training and Development Centre (CSTDC)
  and IPA
• No requirement to use either of these,
  competition from private sector providers
• CSTDC for civil service only no charge for
  courses
• IPA for whole public service charges fees and
  subject to public procurement
• IPA also a recognised college of National
  University of Ireland and offers third level
  education up to doctorate level mainly part time

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TRAINING PRIORITIES

• OECD Report and IPA research suggest following
  priorities
• Leadership
• Governance
• Policy Formulation
• Delivery (ie getting things across the line)
• Measuring public service output

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SELECTION AND TRAINING CHALLENGES/OPPORTUNITIES

• Efficient selection processes v probity
• Increasing specialisms HR, Finance
• Senior public service
• Training/Selection on a pan-public service basis
• Relevant training (case-based, using live
  ammunition, peer consulting, coaching)
• Training senior levels (strategic alliances)

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• THANK YOU