Glossary

A professional system of personnel administration, free from political interference, in which selection and progress in the service are based upon the performance, expertise, and technical qualifications of each employee, measured objectively, (through open, competitive examinations), accompanied by the development of a position classification.

A political principle according to which public organizations are subject to some form of external control, causing them to give a general accounting of and for their actions; an essential concept in democratic public administration.

Process under which an institution's services and operations are examined by a third-party accrediting agency to determine if applicable standards are met.

Institutions set up by Act n.183 of May 18, 1989, regulating the organisational and functional aspects of soil protection.
Italian Basin Authorities are classified on the ground of their national, regional or interregional relevance. The basins of the first kind are eleven, and six basin authorities, established by Decree of the Prime Minister on August 10, 1989, operate in them.
As to those with interregional relevance, the Regions have been granted administrative competence for hydraulic infrastructure and have been delegated administrative functions for water resources.
The administrative competence of Basins with regional relevance has been delegated to the Regions with relevant territorial competence.
They have a mixed and complex composition, given the co-operative participation of both State and Regions, and their organisational structure.

A standardised method for collecting and reporting critical operational data in a way that enables relevant comparison of the performances of different organisations or programmes, often with a view to establishing good practice.

Is the combination of multiple approaches to learning. Blended learning can be accomplished through the use of 'blended' virtual and physical resources. A typical example is a combination of technology-based materials and face-to-face sessions used together to deliver instruction.
With today's prevalence of high technology in many countries, blended learning often refers specifically to the provision or use of resources which combine e-learning (electronic) or m-learning (mobile) with other educational resources. These arrangements combine an electronic learning component with forms of human intervention.

Is the term widely used in Europe to describe the organized action aimed at coping with collective threats caused by natural or human induced disasters.
The Italian Law defines civil protection as complex system of governance for the safeguard of human lives, health, economic assets, cultural and architectural heritage, human settlements and environment from any kind of disaster either natural or man made.

The Italian Civil Protection National service is charged with handling disasters all over Italy and worldwide. It puts forward all those activities needed to protecting human lives, goods, settlements and the environment from damages or from the danger of damages deriving from natural calamities, catastrophes and other disastrous events.
The President of the Council of Ministers provides for the co-ordination of the National Service and the promotion of civil protection activities through the Civil Protection Department.
http://www.protezionecivile.it/cms/attach/brochuredpc_eng2.pdf

The Copenhagen Process on Enhanced European Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (VET) was launched as a European strategy to improve the overall performance, quality and attractiveness of VET in Europe. National and European priorites have been identified to guide the reform and modernisation of the VET systems Since 2002, the process has significantly contributed to raising the visibility and profile of VET in the participating countries. The process is fully embedded into the Education and Training 2010 work programme and contributes directly to the objectives of the Lisbon strategy.

The Italian Corte dei conti is an Institution with the role of safeguarding public finance and guaranteeing the respect of jurisdictional system.
More information on the English Corner of the official website: http://www.corteconti.it/english_corner/

In Italy, the main legal, administrative and judiciary body.

An authoritative order having the force of law.

The general principle of equal opportunities aims to fight any discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, age, disability and sexual orientation. It is intended to apply to all fields, particularly to economic, social, cultural and family life.

In general the follow-up activities take place when the project is finished in administrative terms. Their aim is to maintain, sustain and update project results, and to promote their continuing application and where possible their transfer to wider contexts, thereby maximising their impact.

Pursuant to Decree L. 75/2009 on the reorganisation of the Italian training institutions, the former Formez Training and study Centre was transformed into Formez PA - Service, Assistance and Research Centre for public administration. Its institutional task is the supply of services and technical assistance for public organisations.

ForumPA: (national conference and exhibition on Italian Public Administrations) is the greatest event about the Public Administration taking place in Italy. The largest gathering of representatives from the public sector: politicians, decision makers, stakeholders and civil servants, designed to inspire innovation and promote the best practice across all government departments.
From different viewpoints, it is a unique model: its width, the variety of the exhibition proposals, the richness of congress sessions.
This annual event offers the public sector the opportunity to keep up to date, develop professionally, and look ahead to new opportunities presented by technology and the new current threats.

The set of actions taken to manage emergency in the seismic areas of Regione Abruzzo.
Technical assistance and training are being provided to public administrations of the earthquake hit area, within a common framework directed by the Italian Civil Defence and granted with one million Euros by the JTI (Japan Tobacco International) Foundation.

A system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, manipulating, analysing and displaying data which are spatially referenced to the Earth.

A good practice is an exemplary project (including results or processes) which has positively influenced systems and practices through its activities and results. Consequently, these good practices are worth transferring and exploiting in different contexts and environments by new users or entities.

A range of activities such as information, assessment, orientation and advice to assist learners, trainers and other staff to make choices relating to education and training programmes or employment opportunities.

Refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge that workers possess, not necessarily to their actual work.

Is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization's most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business. The terms "human resource management" and "human resources" (HR) have largely replaced the term "personnel management" as a description of the processes involved in managing people in organizations. Human Resource management is evolving rapidly. Human resource management is both an academic theory and a business practice that addresses the theoretical and practical techniques of managing a workforce.

Is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems”, particularly software applications and computer hardware. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Innovative results are those which represent some new and distinctive features, distinguishing them from others with similar characteristic, and adding value in relation to conventional solutions.

Comprises a range of practices used by organisations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge.
Knowledge Management programs are typically tied to organisational objectives such as improved performance, competitive advantage, innovation, developmental processes, lessons learnt transfer (for example between projects) and the general development of collaborative practices.

(meaning "The Eagle") is a city in central Italy, both the capital town of the Regione Abruzzo and of the Provincia dell’Aquila.
Earthquakes mark the history of L'Aquila, as the city is situated partially on an ancient lake-bed that amplifies seismic activity.

A learning platform is an integrated set of interactive online services that provide teachers, learners, and others involved in education with information, tools and resources to support and enhance educational delivery and management.

To be able to learn and adapt the new skills and training that will be required in today’s fast changing technological universe.

Mainstreaming is a process which enables activities to impact on policy and practice. This process includes identifying lessons, clarifying the innovative element and approach that produced the results, their dissemination, validation and transfer. More specifically, mainstreaming also defines the phase of transfer and the way in which other actors take account of the elaborated results, approaches and key elements

Is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action.

Ideally, this takes place at the planning stage, before starting a project (ex ante needs analysis). The aim is to define the needs of a target group (future beneficiaries and users of the project results) and to better orientate the project’s activities, with the aim of effectively responding to these needs. Needs analyses should be reviewed and updated during the course of the project, to ensure the end results remain relevant to the intended users' needs

Literally, the meaning of the term is the interconnection of two or more networks in different places, with a link to a central computer.

A type of learning activity where work is carried on through communicating via e-mail, electronic for a, videoconferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards, instant messaging and other forms of computer-based communication. Most distance learning programmes include a computer-based training system and communications tools to produce a virtual classroom. Because the Internet and World Wide Web are accessible from virtually all computer platforms, they serve as the foundation for many distance learning systems.

Analyzing and organizing jobs on the basis of duties, responsibilities, and the knowledge and skills required to perform them.

The process whereby new employees may enter public organisations. In Italy the recruiting process is compulsorily based on open competition examinations.

The term RIPAM stands for Riqualificazione della Pubblica Amministrazione, referring to the set of initiatives taken within the human resource development policy and directed to the public sector workforce.
The RIPAM Project is an integrated programme started by FORMEZ in 1993 and aimed at supporting the Government Public Management Reform. To meet the requirements of such important managerial and organisational reform, implying public efficiency and productivity and a new image of a more modern and attractive public administration, new selection and training processes were planned for the redeployment of public staff.
The recruiting process, based on open competition procedures, was thoroughly implemented by a marked use of new technologies and innovative teaching methods, according to an “examination course” methodology, extremely selective and transparent. RIPAM courses were also arranged in order to offer guidance, knowledge and modernisation resources to young people interested in public job positions.
Since its very beginning, the Project has strongly contributed to the modernisation of structures, skills and capabilities of the public workforce, mainstreaming the process of human resources requalification and labour market reform.

A project/programme/plan, that is a carried out in the context of a more general activity. It is managed independently, but is strongly connected with the main programme.

The subsidiarity principle is presently best known as a fundamental principle of European Union law. According to this principle, the EU may only act (i.e. make laws) where action of individual countries is insufficient. The principle was established in the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht. It is intended to ensure that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen and that constant checks are made to ascertain whether action is justified in the light of the possibilities available at national, regional or local level.

Sustainability is the capacity of the project to continue to exist and function beyond the end of its lifecycle. The project results are used and exploited continuously. Sustainability of results means use and exploitation of results in the long term.

This term is used to address the needs which a specific target group will have for education/training and upgrading their qualifications. Mapping of training needs for a specific target group will often be one of the steps in project planning and implementation.

This term is used to address the needs which a specific target group will have for education/training and upgrading their qualifications. Mapping of training needs for a specific target group will often be one of the steps in project planning and implementation.

This involves the adaptation of innovative project results, their transfer, piloting and integration into public systems and practices at local, regional, sectoral, national level in response to the needs of new target groups and users. The process for transferring innovative content ideally includes the identification and analysis of targeted user requirements; selection and analysis of innovative content to meet these requirements; adaptation to the culture, needs and requirements of potential new users (updating the product, translations etc); transfer and piloting in new contexts (target groups, sectors, etc.); and integration (or certification) in regional, national, and/or sectorial systems and practices.

Transferability is the relative capacity of a project's results to be adapted and used in new contexts. Factors supporting the transferability of project results include availability in several languages; use of generic terminology; clear descriptions and indexing of content; good dissemination activities; use of accepted 'industry' standards, benchmarks etc; modular formatting; free access and so on.

State Universities

State universities are public entities endowed with scientific, teaching, managerial, financial and book-keeping autonomy; they have full legal capacity in matters of both public and private law. Their major tasks are scientific research and higher education. For the achievement of common research or teaching purposes, a university may establish interuniversity centers or consortia with other universities or with public and private organizations. Interdepartmental research centers and interdepartmental service centers may also be set up; the first to carry out research work of special relevance, the second to fully exploit particularly complex services and equipment.

Non-State Universities

Non-State universities may be recognized by a decree of the Minister of Education. Legal recognition takes place after an evaluation process concerning the university statute, its organization model, budget, etc. The degrees awarded by non-State universities legally recognized by the State have the same legal value as those of State universities.
Non-State universities have to comply with the same general principles and criteria as defined by the national university legislation for State institutions. The differences between State and non-State universities concern funding and governance.

The process or action to improve the aptitude for work of staff by additional training.

The most prestigious recognition of excellence in Italian public service. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public administrations that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration. Through an annual competition, “Vinca il migliore” Awards promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.

Any form of initial vocational education or training, including technical and vocational teaching and apprenticeships, which contributes to the achievement of a vocational qualification recognised by the competent authorities in the States in which it is obtained, as well as any continuing vocational education or training undertaken by a person during his or her working life.

Electronic learning (or e-Learning or eLearning) is a general term used to refer to a form of learning in which the instructor and student are separated by space or time where the gap between the two is bridged through the use of online technologies. E-learning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts. In companies it is referred to the strategies that use the company network to deliver training courses to employees.