Improving the capabilities of a municipality’s employees means improving its operation. And by extension, the improvement of the operation of the municipality brings about the upgrading and improvement of the services provided to the citizens. Based on this very logical framework, the municipality of Palaio Faliro moved and, in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, proceeded to organize a series of training programs for employees.

It is not about one-day or two-day “flying” seminars, but about an integrated educational cycle, in the spirit of lifelong learning, which lasted two months and, in addition to the knowledge and training it offered, also brought about the updating of any pre-existing skills or integration and familiarization with the new data of the time. Because according to the lies… Municipalities are gradually entering the digital age (especially since the pandemic), services are digitized one after the other for better and faster service to the citizen, facilities and means are upgraded for better and safer performance , the strategy in general is being modernized in order to solve any problems faster, so inevitably the demands on the staff’s capabilities also skyrocket.

The topics and subjects of the educational cycle were developed by University professors, technocrats and senior officials of the public administration and related to the management of local authorities and in particular to the management of organizations, IT and telecommunications technologies, human resources management and financial management of OTA. The aim of this effort is the quality upgrade and strengthening of the knowledge background of the employees and the optimization of the performance of the services provided to the citizens.

Upon completion of the program, training certificates from the Training and Lifelong Learning Center of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens were handed over to the participants.

“Essentially, it is about developing the culture of learning and developing the skills of the employees of the Local Government”, the general secretary of the municipality of Palaio Faliro, Panagiotis Karoumbalis, tells APE-MPE and explains:

“In the new era that is coming, employees should be able to respond, policies and strategies suitable for the modern operation of the municipality and for its highest performance should be implemented. This is of course to the benefit of both the municipality and the citizen, because our purpose is twofold. The final recipient is the citizen, since the services provided are improved, but it is also the internal functioning of the municipality and the improvement of its performance. This is our reasoning and based on this spirit, this initiative was advanced by our mayor Yannis Fostiropoulos”.

And regarding the entry of the Local Government into the digital age, Mr. Karoubalis adds: “The entire municipality must follow this and IT, modern technologies and the modern way of administration are now part of the municipality.”

Regarding the educational cycle and the collaboration with EKPA, he emphasizes: “It is a comprehensive program that has a duration of two months and was done either live or remotely. It is the result of our collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University and it was undertaken by the Center for Studies and Education in Finance of the EKPA, under the guidance of the University’s professor and director Dimitris Kainourgiou. We hope it will continue, because as a municipality we recognize the necessity and usefulness of lifelong learning on the ever-evolving requirements of Local Government and we hope for these cognitive skills developed and the results they will bring. We have open collaborations with the University and it will continue wherever else there is scope to develop this collaboration. Through this synergy, a healthy corporate and social culture is promoted in the field of Local Government. It is in the spirit of cooperation and teamwork that should exist in a municipality”.

The training cycle generally concerned all employees and when asked if there was a response from their side, he answers: “There was quite a large response. It was a complete two-month cycle, so it had a completeness and a diploma is awarded. I personally think that such a program promotes the culture of learning and familiarity with the data of the time”.

And concludes the general secretary of the municipality of Palaio Faliro: “We as a municipal authority believe that the human resources of the municipality are its most important asset and therefore the lifelong learning and the strengthening of the knowledge background of the employees is to the benefit of both the same as well as the citizens, who are the recipients of municipal services and of course it is also for the benefit of the municipality itself”.