Formation of Digital Competence of State Servants in the Conditions of Government Digitalisation: The Problem Statement

Abstract

In the context of public administration digitalization the importance of human resources and their quality increases, which requires state employees to possess new digital competencies (knowledge and skills), and often to master new professional functions that enable them to function effectively in the new digital environment. However, under these conditions, in the process of their professional socialization, a number of problems emerge. The purpose of the research is to determine the conditions and factors affecting the digital competency formation required in the transition to digital public administration of the civil servants digital competencies, as well as to identify contradictions that emerge in their formation process. The study was conducted on the basis of the information society concept, E-Government and the paradigm of the new public administration. The main research methods were documents analysis and statistical data analysis. The study has fixed that one of the factors hindering successful professional socialization in the context of public administration digitalisation is the uncertainty in the content of servants’ digital competencies they need, including taking into account future development prospects. The existing vocational education system cannot form digital competencies at the required level for several reasons (closed access to basic digital services and platforms, a variety of departmental digital services and workflow systems available in only one department, etc.). Civil servants are forced to master digital technology is more on its own. The main contradiction emerges in the process of creating digital competencies is the lack of officially fixed requirements for the availability of state and municipal employees’ digital competencies and the lack of mechanisms for their assessment in the selection or certification process. Moreover, the need to master the relevant digital competencies follows from regulatory documents.