Abstract
The purpose of the paper is to identify the key competencies in the public sector in the digital age and to analyze the main challenges facing higher education in the process of training students and practitioners. The issues of the necessary competencies are addressed in a broad framework of interaction between different stakeholders in the process of transition to e-government. The methodology includes: a review of secondary sources—strategic and regulatory documents related to digital transformation in the country, scientific publications on digital transformation, comparative studies of practices of different countries, etc.; interviews with representatives of leading institutions—Institute of Public Administration and State Agency for e-Government; observations of the work of administrations in the public sector in the study of the Index of Administrative Capacity in Bulgaria; questionnaire survey of students’ attitudes (N = 118) for distance learning through digital means. Among the conclusions drawn is the need for broad stakeholder involvement (the government in cooperation with universities, the private sector, and the administrations themselves) in determining the necessary digital competencies; creativity and flexible approach in developing curricula in higher education; non-formal learning to complement the formal ones provided by universities.
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Acknowledgements
The paper is part of activities under project КП-06-H45/ 1 “Digitalization and digital competencies—trends and innovative practices in higher education and the labor market”, funded by the Research Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science in Bulgaria.
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Bogdanova, M., Parashkevova-Velikova, E. (2023). Digital Competences in the Public Sector—Challenges for Universities. In: Ciurea, C., Pocatilu, P., Filip, F.G. (eds) Education, Research and Business Technologies. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 321. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-6755-9_8
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