Continuining training in public administration. A qualitative analysis of e-learning-based continuing training programmes in the public service

Abstract

It is essential for the efficient functioning of the Hungarian state and the satisfaction of society that the public administration is staffed by well-qualified officials. This requires an appropriate system of continuing training, and it is therefore essential that training programmes are of the right quality for students. As it is compulsory for civil servants in Hungary to participate in public administration training, the quality of the programmes they receive is also important for them. For civil servants, as a target group for continuing training, compulsory training is a heavy burden in addition to their daily work and private life. The quality of the continuing training system is therefore not irrelevant for both the State as an employer and the civil servant as a public employee. There has not yet been any comprehensive research on the quality of continuing training programmes, and in writing this study I am attempting to provide an insight into this specific area of adult education. Although there is significant amount of in-service training in public administration, e-learning programmes make up the bulk of the programmes. In the present study, my aim is to examine the main qualitative characteristics of the tens of thousands of e-learning-based continuing training programmes in civil service.