Training of Expert Statisticians in the Czech Republic Answers to the Questions from August 28

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Training of Expert Statisticiansin the Czech
RepublicAnswers to the Questions from August 28

• Dana Kramova and Marie Hlavackova
• Human Resources Dept.
• Czech Statistical Office

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Czech Republic and Czech Statistical Office
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Q1 Special Training for Experienced Experts who
Train New Specialists

• The Czech Statistical Office gives internal
  seminars for their employees
• Lecturers are recruited from the best employees
• An employee who spent a traineeship abroad used
  to give a lecture about his/her experience,
  shares experience with others
• CZSO organizes statistical seminars to specific
  statistical issue (seasonal adjustment, metadata,
  etc.)

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Q1 cont. Special Training for Experienced
Experts who Train New Specialists

• Czech Statistical Office does not usually hold
  in-house courses for trainers (training of the
  trainers)
• If they want to sit for this special course, we
  send them to the Institute of the Public
  Administration or to ESTP course abroad
• Lecturers are recruited from
• the CZSO employees
• experts from e.g. University of Economics, Prague

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Q2 Selection of Statisticians, Experts and
Managers

• In several levels
• Selection at the annual evaluation talk
  managers have to submit a proposal for the
  inclusion of an employee
• Evaluation by three managers (see criteria)
• Top management approves selected employee

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Q2 cont. Are There Any Defined Criteria?

• A flexible system of criteria
• Successful work on strategic priority tasks of
  the Czech Statistical Office
• Successful work on international grants and EU
  projects
• Knowledge of statistics at university level (2
  terms of statistics or Specialized studies in
  statistics)
• Advanced English e.g. FCE (plus another foreign
  language)
• Specialist experience at CZSO at least 3 years
• The personal qualities

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Q3a Is it possible to assess the effect of the
invested resources?

• A good question!
• To use money wise and efficient
• Evaluation of the training results is extremely
  important and crucial
• To follow evaluation on several levels
• Course evaluation all participants of the
  course are given evaluation form to fill in
• Course evaluation we ask lecturers

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Q3a cont. Is it possible to assess the effect
of the invested resources?

• Annually directors of the departments are asked
• Training requirements of their department have
  been met?
• The results of the training have shown in the
  working process?
• New requirements?

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Q3b Is it Necessary to Make Such Analyses?

• Results / outcome of training process
• Short-time horizon the employees work better
  more efficient, faster
• Long-time horizon language training (the
  employees can browse materials in English easier,
  faster, better, more efficient
• Growth of employees skills soft skills training
  courses (communication skills, time mgmt,
  positive communication, training for employees
  who are in charge during the polls)

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Q4 Career Development Plans in the CZSO
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Who is this Man?

• 1777-1855
• German mathematician and scientist
• Number theory, statistics, analysis, differential
  geometry, etc.
• "the prince of Mathematicians and "greatest
  mathematician since antiquity"

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Introduction

• Statistician of the National Statistical
  Institute becomes an expert step by step,
  gradually
• By acquiring his own experience in the process of
  solving assignments and by meeting other expert
  statisticians
• By mutual exchange of the information
• By solving complex projects

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Results and Discussion

• Special Seminars on Statistics
• Training Plans and Career Plans of Employee
  Development
• International Cooperation
• Evaluation of the Training Process

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Special Seminars on Statistics

• Two-year Special Seminars on Statistics
• It is designed for university graduates
• For those who did not specialize in statistics
• For those who would like to enhance their
  statistical knowledge
• Cooperation with the University of Economics,
  Prague
• Nowadays, there is 22nd run of the Special
  Seminars on Statistics

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Special Seminars on Statistics

• It is a regular two-year university training
  course
• The graduates attend lectures, write seminar
  assignments, gain credits and pass exams
• At the end of the course - to write of the
  dissertation paper
• The total of 384 hours of classes divided into
  four terms
• Weekly workshops i.e. 32 hours of classes
• Each term - three weekly workshops

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Special Seminars on Statistics

• 15-20 participants in each run, it makes up a
  study group
• It is set for CZSO employees benefit it is
  free of charge (tuition, boarding)
• For employees from other central authorities of
  the public administration

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Training Plans and Career Plans of Employee
Development

• Annual Evaluation Talks (implemented in 2004)
• Work assignments, projects
• Targets
• Training aims
• Planning for further professional growth of the
  statisticians
• Evaluation Talks
• To identify the development needs
• To identify personal job interest
• Time interval - at least one year

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Career Plans of Employee Development

• Principles of Career Development of the Employees
• To motivate employees
• To monitor their training needs
• Career options
• For employees
• For experts
• For managers

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Career PlansSystem of Career Development of the
Employees

• Selection of the employees
• Training needs of
• statistician experts
• managers
• Superiors of selected employees recommend them
• for statistician expert route
• for managers route
• Top Management approved those selected employees

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Career Plans

• Personal Career Project - 2 years
• Preparation of the Personal Career Project
• with the employee
• with his superior
• with training section employee
• Follow-up four times during a two year period,
  once in a half year
• 13 employees as statistician experts
• 4 employees as managers

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International Cooperation

• Training courses abroad
• European Statistical Training Program, EIPA,
  College of Brugges
• Meetings, consultations, workgroups
• International conferences

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Evaluation of the Training Process

• After the course all the participants of the
  course fill in the evaluation sheets
• After the course - lecturer is asked about the
  course
• Annually directors of the departments are asked
  
• training requirements of their department have
  been met?
• the results of the training have shown in the
  working process?
• new requirements?

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Conclusions

• National statistical institutions are able to
  reach their accomplishments and provide quality
  results only with excellent statisticians
• Care for young expert statisticians and
  continuous professional growth of all employees
  in expert positions belong to the key tasks of HR
  mgmt
• To use all training instruments, new methods and
  ways of training

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Thank You!

• Dana Kramova
• Czech Statistical Office
• Training Section
• Na padesatem 81
• 100 82 Prague 10
• Czech Republic
• dana.kramova_at_czso.cz
• Mysterious man was Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• See the Gauss curves above

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Special Training by Experienced Experts who Train
New Specialists

• No special mentoring system in CZSO
• Immediate superior responsible for introducing
  of a new employee into the work process
• An experienced statistician from the section
  takes care for a newcomer (replies inquiries,
  guides him/her)
• Learning by doing is a continuous process
• Employee grows professionally during solving of
  the job assignments

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Introduction

• Motto Human is not born with the knowledge of
  statistics. Human has to be educated
• New employees of the Statistical Office are
  usually not ready-made statisticians
• Prerequisites
• Education training and achievement
• Natural abilities, talent, personal and
  characteristic features