The ATP Public Sector SIG Holds a

Successful First Meeting in Budapest

22-23, September.

The first organizational meeting of the ATP Public Sector SIG, which was hosted by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened with an address by ATP CEO Dr. William G. Harris and David Bearfield, Director of the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). Harris and Bearfield outlined the mission and purpose of the Public Sector SIG as a group focused on issues surrounding testing and assessment in global public sector arenas.

Three presentations followed: An organization embarking on modernization of recruitment, presented by the Ministry of Civil Service Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; An organization currently implementing changes, what are the lessons learned? presented by NATO; and An organization recently gone through changes – what are the lessons learned?  presented by the UN.

The second day's proceedings began with best practices showcases of key learnings covering the main steps in the recruitment process including workforce planning, employer branding and marketing, establishing a competency model, CBT, selection methodology, graduate development programs and evaluating and demonstrating impact/ROI.

The final part of the meeting was devoted to roundtable discussions on moving forward with common challenges and how the SIG should move forward operationally. Participants were divided into small teams to report back on their discussions.

The following overall key challenges facing organizations in the public sector in sourcing talent were identified as: Developing computer based testing; Developing new tests; Using new technology; Reducing cost; Social mobility; Diversity; Managing change; Testing for values and motivation; Demonstrating ROI; Self-assessment; Developing a competency matrix; Use of social media; Branding; and, Measuring candidate and employer satisfaction. The group when on to identify key initiatives that can be undertaken in addressing these challenges from creating an online portal for sharing knowledge to pooling resources, selections methods and calls for tender.

Wrote one attendee of the event: " I usually participate in conferences where the policy framework is already in place and the topics are how to deliver within that framework.  The SIG meeting in Budapest was different since it demonstrated how a group can work together to grow and develop new ideas common to the group's interest. In other words it's our sharing of visions which in turn could lead to better policies within our respective organizations. "
-- Zorana  Maltar, Administrative Officer, UN

The presentations from this initial meeting can be accessed on the the ATP website: http://www.testpublishers.org/public-sector-sig-events

For more information on the Pubic Sector SIG contact: [email protected]