Policy Recommendations on the Role of Local Government Associations in Training Delivery to Local Authorities

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1. The LGA should have the major role in the training of local authorities - regardless of the specific circumstances in the country - because the LGA is closest to and most responsive to local officials and it can best ensure that contents and opinions taught are in the interest of local government.
2. The LGA should first and foremost focus on the training of elected representatives and develop special training packages for those newly elected. This is the niche in the training market which naturally belongs to the LGA. LGAs should keep this focus especially if the national training market offers sufficient high quality training for LG administration staff or if the capacity of the LGA to offer training is limited. Otherwise, in general, the LGA should offer a wider area of training modules needed for local government administration and elected representatives.
3. The LGA should advocate for creating a favorable legal framework for the training of local government administration and elected representatives. It is recommended to introduce policies which oblige and motivate the local government administration and elected representatives to attend professional training, and continuously fund such training as a permanent budget line in the municipal budget.
4. A Training Needs Assessment is an important step in the process of training preparation and delivery; it should be done regularly, using effective, yet inexpensive, tools, such as evaluation forms and discussions after seminars, e-mail surveys, meetings with members etc.
5. 
   To ensure the quality of training delivery, the LGA should establish a pool of trainers that comprises both professional trainers and local authority practitioners. The provision of additional support to local authorities for the period needed for the implementation of the acquired knowledge is as important as good preparation and evaluation of the training. Identification of best practices and their usage as models shoud be encouraged. Additionally, the LGA should act as a barrier for training institutions that deliver low quality training programs. It should cooperate and start partnerships with Universities or similar institutions in offering trainings.
6. The LGA has to be aware that new topics often have to be developed or initiated by them. This means that in many cases the traditional training providers need the input of innovation from the LGA (e.g. consequences of new budgetary regulations for the municipalities).
7. Different organizational models correspond to different development phases: usually, an LGA starts with establishing a special training department within the association; when it grows, a daughter company may be established. There are cases of even establishing an independent agency as the last step in the development of an incomegenerating training center that is competitive in the free market, however this form is not yet well analyzed.
8. The main role of the central government in training delivery to local authorities should be to ensure an adequate legal framework, providing financial means for training and providing experts in specific sectoral training.
9. The LGA should play an active role in ensuring that available funds for training are used without overlap and according to the real needs of local authorities, by coordinating the training activities through informal meetings and exchange of information, or – even better – by establishing a coordinating body at the national level. LGA have to ensure the independency of the local trainings from other governmental levels, private companies and donors.
10. LGAs should encourage competition between training providers as an asset for the local governments seeking for high quality training at low prices. However, if the training offer is unfavorable, than LGA can also use accreditation as a means of quality control. If the LGA itself needs to be an accredited training provider in order to offer certified training programs, the LGA should look for a partnership with an accredited training provider (i.e. higher education institutes).