Source: Official site of Zaporizhia Oblast State Administration

foto-1 (1)Zaporizhia State Oblast Administration hosted a “round” table discussion on “First-priority needs of local self-governance bodies in advance training”, supported by PLEDDG. The Head of Department of Foreign Relations and International Economic Activity Artur Boyko, the PLEDDG experts, community representatives, and directors of structural units of the State Oblast Administration took part in the event.

In the framework of the PLEDDG, jointly with The National Academy for Public Administration under The President of Ukraine, the LED Professional Training Program for Civil Servants and Local Governance Officials was developed and approved by the National Agency of Ukraine for Civil Service.

– Now we can speak about systematizing of knowledge. The training program covers all the needs and all the reforms carried out within the system of central public and executive power and local self-governance bodies. All required services are being closer to communities, and you should know how to improve them, how to attract investments into communities. All this is based on the specialists who are ready to gain knowledge, learn and develop”, – Artur Boyko said.
PLEDDG Senior Expert Oleksandr Ignatenko told the participants about PLEDDG’s activity.

– PLEDDG provides assistance to self-governance bodies in four Ukrainian oblasts. These are Zaporizhia, Poltava, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia oblasts. A key aspect of the Project is enhancement of the communities’ economies, – Oleksandr Ignatenko said.

Experts say the LED Professional Training Program suggests civil servants and local governance officials gain knowledge on LED principles, methods, instruments and financial means for their implementation. As a result of their capacities built, they should efficiently foster economic development in practical terms.

The Program includes such topics as: “The Fundamentals of Local Economic Development”; “Democratic Governance”; “The Methodology and Contemporary Practice of Strategic Planning”; “Marketing and Branding of Territories”; “Investments as Instruments of Local Economic Development”; “Support of Local Business and Entrepreneurship Development”; “Development of Human Resources”; “The Mechanisms of Funding of Local Economic Development”; “Monitoring of Local Economic Development and Assessment of Results”; “The Gender Fundamentals of Local Economic Development”; “Strategic Ecologic Planning”; “Local Economic Development Project Management”; etc.

The participants of the event also discussed the latest methods and approaches to training under professional programs on advance training for public officials.

It should be reminded that MLED Project’s experts (www.mled.org.ua) together with specialists from The National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine (NAPA) developed a Training Program on LED covering such areas as democratic governance, marketing and branding of territories, support of local entrepreneurship development, development of human resources, the role of investments, etc. In 2018, the Academic Board of NAPA approved LED Professional Training Program for Civil Servants professional program of advance training for civil servants and Local Governance Officials, developed with support from PLEDDG Project by the National Academy’s Department of Regional Administration, Local Governance and Urban Management. The Professional training Program suggests civil servants and local governance officials gain knowledge on local economic development principles, methods, instruments and financial means for their implementation. As a result of their capacities to efficiently foster economic development in practical terms, they will think both creatively and strategically, take responsive decisions in non-standard situations, apply innovative approaches in their activity, be flexible in the process of overcoming governance challenges and open to changes.