The Bulgarian Institute of Public Administration (IPA)

The Bulgarian Institute of Public Administration (IPA) is an Executive Agency whose mission is to conduct training and research for the development of professional civil service and to strengthen the capacity of Bulgarian institutions in the face of challenges brought by modern public policies. Established in 2000, the IPA provides training for public administrations using modern technology, methods, and training programmes.

Cyber security trainings for civil servants 

The platform offers all civil servants electronic self-learning modules on topics related to:

• Cyber threats in the public sector: specifics, analysis and possible approaches to reduce risks
• Cyber hygiene when using e-mail
• Cybersecurity: Trojan horse and social engineering

The IPA has also developed and organised face-to-face trainings for civil servants on:

• Introduction to Cybersecurity: Basic risk assessment in the working environment – training aimed at all experts in the public administration
• Cybersecurity: assets, threats, risks – specialised training for IT and network and information security experts

In addition, a specialised forum for managers, IT experts and experts on network and information security was held:

• Cyber Security: Networking and Sharing Experience

Resource hub 

The IPA website offers a wide range of resources for civil servants. While these are not all specifically focusing on digital skills training, providing training on digitalisation and digital skills contributes to the strategic aims of the IPA to modernise the administration and the introductory training for new civil servants. For example, the IPA website includes a collection of publications on a variety of topics, including some on ‘Digitalisation in training of public administration personnel’. The website also:

• Provides information on compulsory and specialised trainings offered by the IPA
• Gives an overview of the IPA networks and its activities
• Provides in-depth description of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and its resource center
• Details the projects the IPA has worked and is currently working on

EU Projects for modern and effective public services

The IPA has experience working on projects at on both a national and European level, such as the “Digital transformation in training – digital competence and learning” which aims to improve the knowledge, skills and qualifications of civil servants.