By giving interns work directly related to their field of study and paying them fairly, the Portuguese government hopes to encourage them to explore opportunities in the civil service and pursue a career there. With the EstágiAP XXI programme for recent graduates under age 30 (or 35 for disabled graduates), the government is offering 500 six-month internships paying a monthly salary of €998.50.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Italy’s Minister of Public Administration and Minister of University and Research to give the country’s civil servants access to university training for their professional development. The memorandum lays out a framework for future collaborative initiatives to improve the level of employee training and professional development via access to diploma programmes.

After conducting a skills inventory of the public sector, the OECD developed a framework that builds on existing strengths, while also recognising that cognitive, social and emotional skills will continue to increase in importance. The international organisation provides a summary of the data it collected, showing how the various OECD member states stack up against each other. It also presents a number of best practices and case studies and provides a self-assessment questionnaire.