The Training of Employees and Elected Officials of Local Government in Greece: An Empirical Study on the Municipalities of the Regional Unit of Pella

Investing in the education and training of local government staff in Greece is a key element in preparing employees for the challenges of e-government and the digital transformation of the public sector. The training of employees and elected bodies of local government improves the functioning of municipalities in matters of administration, power, leadership, and decision-making as well as in matters of organizational behavior. The demands and expectations of citizens are increasing, their needs are multiplying, and municipalities are facing new challenges. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the employees and elected bodies of the local government of a region in Greece, regarding their training. Two questionnaires were used for the survey. One is addressed to the employees of the four Municipalities of Pella and the other to the elected bodies of the same municipalities. Key survey results showed that 41% of municipal employees do not receive training during the year, and 36% receive training once a year. In addition, the results for the elected officials of the local government of Pella showed that 46.3% of the survey participants do not receive any training during the year, and 22% are trained once a year. The increase in workload is the main reason why employees do not engage themselves in training programs and a combination of face-to-face and distance learning was the most preferred method of training. Finally, age, gender, and seniority were not statistically significant determinants of work performance after training.