June 13, 2023 – The Cabinet of Ministers (CM) approved the informative report prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (MoEPRD) "On the 2nd component of the European Union Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Plan, "Digital Transformation" 2.3. reform and investment direction "Digital skills" 2.3.2.2.i. the implementation of the investment "Development of digital transformation skills and abilities of the state and local governments". The report determines the procedure for implementing and monitoring the investment in the development of digital transformation skills and capabilities of the state and local governments.
The approved program foresees that MoEPRD, in cooperation with the State Administration School and the State Chancellery, will implement the digital skills development program for state and local government employees in the period from 2023 to 2026.
Gatis Ozols, MoEPRD deputy state secretary for digital transformation issues: "In order for the public administration to be generally knowledgeable and skilled in using digital opportunities and for the state's development to take into account the possibilities of modern technologies, it is essential to invest not only in digital solutions, but it is much more essential to invest in knowledgeable and skilled employees. Therefore, we are pleased to start work on the implementation of the State Digital Academy program in cooperation with the School of State Administration, which will make a significant contribution to improving the digital management skills of state administration professionals and managers and implementing innovative technology-based solutions."
The purpose of the investments is to strengthen and increase the skills of public administration specialists and managers in order to ensure planning and implementation of policies that meet modern requirements, creating convenient services for citizens, increasing the level of automation of administrative processes and promoting the introduction of modern technologies in administrative processes and work, as well as strengthening cyber security.
Investments are intended to raise the digital competences of state direct administration and local government employees in areas such as change management, service management, data analytics, application of artificial intelligence and other modern technologies in the modernization of operations and services, flexible information and communication technology (ICT) project management, cyber security, modern digital use and management of infrastructures, etc.
In order to facilitate the approval and testing of innovations in the administration, the program provides an opportunity not only to acquire knowledge and skills, but also to support the creation and implementation of small-scale prototypes.
Within the framework of the digital academy program, it is expected to provide training for 62 900 employees in the public administration. It is expected that the digital skills of public administration will be developed in close cooperation between MoEPRD, the State Chancellery and the State School of Administration, planning and implementing learning activities in accordance with the unified state administration plan - "Learning and Development Plan for Employees in Public Administration for 2021-2027" for the specified.
Agita Kalviņa, director of the School of State Administration: "The State Administration has taken another important step in strengthening the capacity of human resources. The rapid development of technologies and innovations requires not only high digital skills of the society and entrepreneurs, but also a digital public administration that uses modern technologies for efficient work and mainly thinks digitally, creating e-services and making data-based decisions".
The informative report was developed on the basis of the plan of the European Union Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (Recovery and Resilience Facility) approved by the CM, which includes Digital Transformation and Reform, which provides for the creation and strengthening of a unified framework for the assessment of digital skills, identification of learning needs, planning and evaluation in the regulatory base. The plan also includes investments that will ensure the improvement of the digital competence and capabilities of the employees of the state direct administration and local governments.
The recovery fund plan was created to prevent economic and social damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to stimulate economic resilience. One of the strategic challenges identified within the funding of the Recovery and Resilience Facility is the insufficient capacity of public administration institutions and a low level of digital knowledge and skills, which are necessary for the rapid digital transformation of the public sector. Thanks to the funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the digital capabilities of the public administration will be strengthened.
