Training programme for civil servants on digital skills - Romania

This initiative, implemented by the National Agency of Civil Servants (ANFP) under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Component C7 – Digital Transformation, Investment 16, aims to substantially increase the advanced digital competencies of civil servants in Romania. The project targets 32,500 civil servants: 30,000 participating in advanced digital skills training and 2,500 in leadership and talent management courses tailored to the context of digital transformation.

Background and context 

Romania's ambition to digitalise public services - both citizen-facing and internal administrative operations - requires a workforce equipped with the necessary technical skills. The digital skills institutional needs analysis conducted in 2022 by ANFP revealed that civil servants' digital competencies were insufficient to support this 
transformation (62,8% of civil servants had no digital skills, only 3,6% assumed advanced digital skills). Without 
targeted intervention, the gap between policy objectives and implementation capacity would continue to widen, 
limiting the effectiveness and resilience of public institutions.

About this initiative

The programme's primary objective is to build a pool of qualified civil servants capable of managing and 
operating modern IT&C systems within government and of leading the digital transformation. For 30,000 civil 
servants at national level, irrespective of their position, It offers 4 general training programmes in the context of 
public administration digitalisation (Management, Communication, Finance and Back Office), 9 specific training tracks (Advanced statistics, Databases, Web application development and design, Administration, development, and security of ICT networks, Development of non-web desktop applications, Business Analytics, Online consultation tools, Digital tools for remote working/teleworking) and the cross-sectional module "Mastering DigComp".

Why is this a good practice? 

The project delivered dedicated courses on the topics of leadership and talent management, taking digital aspects into account, to 2,500 civil servants in senior career categories. By the end of February 2026, over 29,000 civil servants had already been certified in digital competencies and 2,540 civil servants in senior positions had been certified in leadership and talent management. By equipping civil servants with DigComp level-5 competencies and contemporary management skills, the programme directly enhances individual career development while strengthening institutional capacity. It supports the digitalisation of public services by increasing the availability of qualified workforce for internal ICT operations. Participants gain practical, certified expertise through courses ranging from 40 to 175 hours, delivered in face-to-face, hybrid, and online formats - ensuring accessibility regardless of geographic location or scheduling constraints. Training sessions blend theoretical instruction (40%) with hands-on practice (60%), maximising skill transfer to daily work.