GovLearn: A Digital Tool to Empower Public Servants in their Search for Digital Government Competence Education

Koddebusch, Michael; Brützke, Paul; Becker, Jörg

Abstract

Developing digital government competences among public servants is crucial for the digital transformation of public organizations and the broader public sector. Traditional undergraduate education and apprenticeships are often insufficient for imparting these competences, and demographic trends necessitate exploring alternative methods for competence development. Professional development thus becomes particularly significant. A major hurdle is that public servants frequently lack awareness of their own digital government competence needs, and the array of available training opportunities is disorganized. To address these issues, we employed design science research. We designed, developed, and evaluated \textit{GovLearn}, a digital tool that aids public servants in identifying their individual digital government competence requirements and provides tailored continuous education recommendations. This tool represents a significant step towards enhancing the capability of public servants to navigate and benefit from continuous education opportunities in a structured manner.