Paris, March 11-13, 2024

ReSPA Continues to enable the participation of the WB civil servants in PACE – this time at the PACE week exchange on "Prospective approach of Careers: Coaching, mentoring" - a comprehensive platform for exploring the prospective approach to careers in civil service. Through shared experiences, challenges, and best practices, participants gained valuable insights into recruitment, performance appraisal, skills development, career mobility, and motivational strategies. This experience was very valuable in terms of moving forward; the exchange of knowledge and collaboration among stakeholders will be crucial in shaping fulfilling and equitable career paths within civil service sectors globally.

Over several days, participants delved into various aspects of civil service careers, from recruitment processes to performance appraisal, skills development, and career mobility. Representatives from different countries, including France, Belgium, Italy, Albania, North Macedonia and the EU Commission, shared insights and experiences, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing civil service careers.

During the first day of the conference, attendees gained valuable insights into HR foresight activities, employer branding, attractiveness, contracting staff issues, and recruitment practices within the French civil service. An overview of the French civil service was provided, shedding light on its structure, functions, and significance within the broader administrative framework. This presentation offered valuable insights into the workings of one of Europe's largest public sectors.

The second day centred on performance appraisal and its relation to career and professional development. The way of measuring performance in the civil service (France, Italy) specifically talked about the professional evaluation framework, France and the focus on the role of managers: human capital development and new competency framework, Italy.

Day three focused on career mobility, support mechanisms, and skills development. Insights from a career guidance officer at the European Commission shed light on effective career guidance services, mentoring, coaching, and confidentiality protocols. Strategies used for talent spotting, career guidance and coaching were presented.

The fourth day was dedicated to coaching and mentoring, with the presentation of the French coaching program and a focus on "the talented" program from the Interministerial Directorate for Public Transformation, Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service. The Belgian coaching network and how the coaching functions in Belgian public administration were also presented. 

The final day featured discussions on staff motivation and incentives, with a presentation from the HR transformation office of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.