Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540549
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 OCTOBER 2025 It's about people THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION WHEN we invest in our peo- ple, the rewards are multi- plied and long-lasting, when we give people the opportu- nity to upskill and further professionalise what they do, everyone benefits. Our newly announced pro- gramme "EMPOWER" does exactly this. It opens new opportunities for those who work in Local Government to training and development locally, overseas and virtual- ly. This means that life-long learning is placed at the centre of our work and ensures that elected officials, administra- tors and public officials sup- porting Local Government are themselves supported with the knowledge and skills needed to do their job. EMPOWER is the result of a consultation exercise that we undertook to understand what support Local Government needed and the answers were very clear in favour of profes- sional development. Support- ed by the European Social Fund and with a total of €600,000 being allocated to implement the work to be undertaken, this work will include not only courses but attendance at sem- inars and conferences related to professional development. To support and oversee this programme, the start of this year saw the formation of the National Training Council for Local Government. The Council is tasked with the cre- ation and coordination of the training ecosystem for those benefiting from EMPOWER. Overseeing this work will be an essential part of delivering on our national training strate- gy for local government which was launched earlier this year. Partnering with us to achieve this task will be the Institute for Public Services (IPS) whose track record in training deliv- ery is nothing short of excep- tional. The training will be specialised and targeted at those working in the Local Government sector with the aim of increasing the knowl- edge and competence of those who participate. Empowering public officials with better training and sup- porting their professional de- velopment is central to a wider strategy that recognises just how important Local Gov- ernment is in our daily lives. That importance is described in having better quality of ser- vices, and crucially better local governance. Understanding the concepts of good govern- ance requires more than com- mon sense and instead extends to the technical, democratic, legal and financial aspects of governance. This investment in our future is about strengthening local and regional government and bringing Local Government closer to citizens in a profes- sional way. It is an affirma- tion of our belief in local representation and the cen- tral importance of our most important resource – our people. For such a long time, we have relied as a country on the good will, persistence and dedica- tion of Local Councils, their members and staff. While be- ing elected as a councillor or mayor is a challenge political- ly, for the inexperienced, gov- ernance can be a steep learn- ing curve. The old saying that "You campaign in poetry, and govern in prose" shows just how big the difference between them is. We hope that this in- vestment in training and pro- fessional development renders the desired results and that those results are felt by you as a citizen every day through efficient and effective local de- mocracy in action.