Description
Background:
Bila Tserkva City Council of VII convocation has approved the Bila Tserkva 2025 Development Strategy, March 24, 2016.
To ensure the Strategy implementation the Bila Tserkva City Council studied the best practices of Ukrainian cities and decided to establish a separate subdivision – Municipal Enterprise “Agency for Bila Tserkva Strategic Development” which main objective shall be a comprehensive support of the Strategy implementation.
It is quite clear that the Agency’s successful operation entails the attraction of active, progressive and qualified specialists who will act as the city’s change agents. This has given a rise to the idea to start the “Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes” Project which helped find, educate and attract skilled and qualified experts to deal with the Strategy implementation.
Goal:
The Project’s goal is to provide the participants with necessary knowledge and skills which will enable them to hold relevant posts with the local governments and Municipal Enterprise “Agency for Bila Tserkva Strategic Development” and contribute to the Strategy successful implementation.
Implementation:
On March 14, 2016 the NGO “GoLOCAL” with the support of local authorities and partners announced a competition aimed to select 25 candidates to undergo training with a major business school under the guidance of international experts and will get theoretical and practical knowledge in the sphere of the municipal reform implementation.
The competition included the following stages:
- candidates selection based on applications submitted;
- interviews with candidates;
- final interview held by the Selection Committee.
The competition was held for the Bila Tserkva residents who:
- were ready to work to bring benefits to Bila Tserkva;
- sought for changes and made focus on European values;
- were ready for active cooperation with the city community;
- have higher education;
- were eager to learn;
- demonstrated a high potential for development;
- were able to work in a team and achieve goals;
- were fluent in Ukrainian and English.
The Selection Committee consisted of the Bila Tserkva City Council representatives, HR experts from “Pedersen & Partners” recruitment agency, representatives of the NGO “GoLOCAL”, and community activists. The number successful candidates to join the project totaled to 24 persons out of nearly 100 runners.
The training commenced on April 25, 2016 and was hosted by the International Institute of Business.
For almost three months the participants of the “Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes” Project underwent training and studied:
- management of investment attractiveness of the region;
- business process management;
- basics of sustainable development;
- project approach to the municipal administration;
- municipal budgeting, finances, etc.
Also, the participants studied the system of local government reformation and optimization of local authorities’ activities along with the project management and effective teamwork.
The training course, with the assistance of leading experts who provided the students with the support and advice, gave life to the further city development projects complying with the Bila Tserkva 2025 Development Strategy.
Projects topics:
- creation of a “smart municipality”;
- enhancement of the monitoring over the compliance with outdoor advertising rules and regulations and development of the tools for the harmonization of the promotional and information outdoor stands design to ensure the city aesthetic streamlining;
- increasing the Bila Tserkva’s tourism appeal through the development of the Alexandria Dendrological Park;
- raising social and cultural awareness among population and promotion of healthy lifestyles;
- creation of anti-corruption platform;
- creation of municipal geographic information system;
- improvement of the road safety measures for the schoolchildren of Bila Tserkva;
- establishment of a network of sports and entertainment centers for children with disabilities;
- creation of an easy-to-use and modern Internet resource of structured information about leisure activities across the city;
- ensuring effective solid-waste management through separate waste collection, limiting the landfill space to urge waste recycling activities.
In total, the course resulted into 12 successfully defended projects.
During July 4-6 the participants of the “Team of Changes” made a study tour to Poland where they visited the cities of Krakow and Tarnow. The purpose of the trip was to study the neighboring country’s experience in the areas of economic development, civil society development, investments attraction, and operation of industrial parks.
During their trip the students had a hands-on experience in learning how Poland organizes efficient work of its municipalities in the spheres of socio-economic development, improvement of the regional investment attractiveness and organization of industrial cluster and technology park, along with the support of SMEs, involvement of active citizens, tourism development and providing comfortable living conditions in the city.
On July 12, the participants of the “Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes” Project received their diplomas issued by the International Institute of Business under “Administration within the Public Sector” training program.
The Municipal Enterprise “Agency for Bila Tserkva Strategic Development” was established following the Resolution of the Bila Tserkva City Council. Eleven graduates of the “Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes” Project joined to the team of the Agency’s employees.
The Agency is aimed at developing investment projects and shall seek to attract investment in projects within the Bila Tserkva 2025 Development Strategy framework.
The remaining thirteen participants of the project «Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes» cooperating with the Agency (engaged in the development of projects of the city on the side of the public sector, working by the Bila Tserkva city council).
Results
- Conducted interviews with 60 candidates;
- Selected 24 participants for which a training course was conducted;
- A study visit to Tarnów (Poland) was held;
- 16 people from among graduates joined the “Agency of strategic development of Bila Tserkva” and are now using new knowledge for implementation of the Development Strategy.
Informational materials
The Presentation of the competition “Bila Tserkva. Team of Changes” (Ukr)
