The Emerging Leaders Graduate Programme (ELGP) aims to cultivate the individual and collective capabilities of Administrative Officers and Third Secretaries to meet the challenges of their role, be future focused and chart a path to future public sector leadership. It will support them to deliver strategic objectives, contribute to the overall success of the civil service, and foster network building among participants.
Over a series of one day modules, delivered mainly in person, the programme will provide participants with an overview of the institutional context within which they operate, a practical understanding of the workings of government departments, including the principles and institutional structures of the Irish system of democracy; a deeper understanding of the roles of various actors in that system, with the focus on the role of the civil servant as the agent of the Minister and the rules and procedures that determine the civil servant’s role in the process.
Situated within the professional teaching and learning environment of the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), the programme will focus on developing an appreciation of the essentials of working in the civil service. It will introduce participants to the key aspects of government finance, including the annual budget process, how public expenditure and revenue is monitored against budgetary targets and the appropriation account. Important definitions and the backdrop to corporate governance in the public sector, will raise participants’ knowledge about key governance principles and features, the Civil Service Governance Standard and Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, in addition to setting out emerging new areas in governance such as culture, equality, diversity, inclusion and sustainability.