MODERNIZING THE TRAINING OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN UKRAINE BASED ON CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine the key aspects of the professional training systems for employees in local self-government in Western Europe, using the French Republic (a unitary system) and the Federal Republic of Germany (a federal system) as case studies, and to assess the feasibility of applying this experience in Ukraine. The study demonstrates that, in many European countries, the professional training of local government officials is implemented as part of a national strategy. In most cases, the role of the public sector is limited to incorporating relevant courses and electives into university curricula. However, there is an increasing trend toward fruitful collaboration between municipalities and educational institutions in the training of relevant professionals. The analysis of European practices in developing conceptual frameworks for training specialists in local self-government allows for several conclusions to be drawn for Ukraine. Given that the current democratic public administration system in Ukraine cannot ensure that vacant elected positions in local self-government bodies will be filled exclusively by certified specialists in the field, it is advisable for the state to support non-governmental educational institutions that prepare professionals for local self-government, based on the demands of the national ‘labor market’. In the current context of limited budgetary resources, the creation of an additional national system for the training, retraining, and professional development of local government officials, as well as for the training of local council members through public funding, seems unjustified. An examination of European countries' experiences in addressing the professional staffing of local self-government bodies further indicates that establishing a centralized system for the training and development of local self-government officials is unnecessary, even in unitary states.