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Minimum Viable Skills for Civil Servant

Civil servants are usually - but not always - in practice employed by 'Ministers' - so most civil servants work in government departments and are therefore employed by Government Ministers. Civil servant perform the Executive power in a State. The exact nature of civil service employment can vary depending on the country and the specific role, but generally, civil servants are responsible for carrying out a range of administrative, regulatory, or policy-related functions. Examples of civil service roles may include clerks, analysts, policy advisors, inspectors, and managers.One important aspect of civil service employment is that it is typically non-political, meaning that civil servants are expected to remain neutral and non-partisan in their work. This is important to ensure that government and public sector organizations operate fairly and effectively, without being influenced by political bias or favoritism.

Organisational context:

  • Sector of government performing the executive power
  • Non elected nor appointed professionals in public bodies
  • Public administration

Mission

Civil Servant creates and supports open access to scientific knowledge, data, and research results and serves the public interest also through the appropriate re-use of data produced and shared by research actions.

OS Activities

  • Clarify and shape OS strategy and priorities for the national and international interest
  • Involve and engage the right stakeholders and partners in making recommendations or decisions on OS
  • Shape strategies and plans which help put into practice OS (give a long-term direction)  
  • Develop the capabilities in OS of the staff
  • Engage in the open research process
  • Ensure compliance with ethical, legal and regulatory criteria
  • Communicate / actively promote OS
  • Facilitate the engagement of different stakeholders in co-creation actions

OS Outcomes

The main objective is to support Open Science and foster the re-use of Open Science products in policy and decision making. This is mainly achieved through the following:

  • working towards making research more transparent, accessible, and reproducible, as well as fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the scientific community and beyond
  • making scientific knowledge and research results openly available, to ensure that taxpayers' money is being used effectively and efficiently, and that the benefits of research are being shared widely
  • working to implement policies that support open access to research publications and data, encouraging researchers to make their work openly available
  • facilitating collaboration and knowledge-sharing between researchers, government agencies, and the public
  • promoting open science practices through training and education, and engaging with stakeholders to understand their needs and priorities
  • ensuring the appropriate re-use of data produced and shared by research actions in decision making context

Essential Skills and Competences

Technical skills and competences

  • Good understanding of OS principles and practices, open data, open research and open access
  • Developing policies and guidelines that promote OS
  • Solid understanding of OS research ethics
  • Being familiar with technology and tools used to support OS practices
  • Managing projects related to OS
  • Providing training and education to researchers, policymakers, and public citizens about OS practices
  • Evaluating the impact of OS practices and make recommendations for future improvement
  • Good understanding of data management, including data storing, analysis and sharing according to the FAIR and OS principles

Soft/ transversal skills

  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Citizen Engagement skills
  • Negotiation and diplomacy
  • Innovative thinking
  • Strategic and analytical skills
  • Teamwork
  • Adaptability to changes

Link to any other MVS that this MVS is based on (from those in Skills4EOSC D2.1)

Reference sources

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  1. UK Civil Service - Definitions - What is a Civil Servant? URL: https://www.civilservant.org.uk/information-definitions.html (visited on 2024-03-16). ↩

  2. Digital, data and technology profession capability framework. November 2018. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-competency-framework (visited on 2024-03-16). ↩

  3. Benoit Guerin, Alex Thomas, Rhys Clyne, and Suhasini Vira. Finding the right skills for the civil service. 2021. ↩

  4. Salome Scholtens, Petronella Anbeek, Jasmin Böhmer, Mirjam Brullemans-Spansier, Marije van der Geest, Mijke Jetten, Christine Staiger, Inge Slouwerhof, and Celia W. G. van Gelder. Life sciences data steward function matrix. February 2019. Version Number: V1.1. URL: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2561723, doi:10.5281/zenodo.2561723. ↩

  5. Angus Whyte at al. Eoscpilot fair4s (skills and capability framework). 2018. URL: https://eoscpilot.eu/sites/default/files/eoscpilot-d7.3.pdf (visited on 2024-03-16). ↩

  6. PwC C. Sharff et al. Skills Expander: Upskill civil servants now to serve citizens better in a digital age. 2020. ↩

  7. OECD. Skills for a High Performing Civil Service. 2017. URL: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/content/publication/9789264280724-en, doi:https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264280724-en. ↩

  8. Working Group Report on AI Capacity Building. Artificial intelligence and digital transformation competencies for civil servants. 2022. URL: https://www.broadbandcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Artificial-Intelligence-and-Digital-Transformation-Competencies-for-Civil-Servants.pdf (visited on 2024-03-16). ↩

  9. Zsóka Magyar. What knowledge is essential for the future civil servants?: report on participation in the synergia transnational education program for civil servants. Scientia et Securitas, 3(1):79–85, 2022. ↩

  10. UK Government Office for Science. The future of the Civil Service: making the most of scientists and engineers in government. 2013. ↩

  11. Gitte Kragh and Kristian H. Nielsen. TIME4CS WP4 Mapping of citizen science training resources. July 2022. URL: https://zenodo.org/record/6840274 (visited on 2024-03-16), doi:10.5281/ZENODO.6840274. ↩

  12. Robert Lee Yahong Zhang and Kaifeng Yang. Knowledge and skills for policy making: stories from local public managers in florida. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 18(1):183–208, 2012. URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2012.12001677, arXiv:https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2012.12001677, doi:10.1080/15236803.2012.12001677. ↩

  13. Bob; HM Government Wilde. Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours. 2018. ↩