Across the South Adriatic area, local public administrations are being asked to do more. They need to make services easier to access, handle data safely, and turn digital change into something that works in everyday life. Recent 2025 country factsheets produced under Interoperable Europe show a shared direction across Italy and Albania, with growing attention to digital services, stronger data systems and cybersecurity. This wider shift also makes one need increasingly clear: local administrations need people with the right skills to turn these priorities into everyday practice.
In this context, and as a concrete response to this growing need, the strategic project Interreg GOVERNANCE is launching a free advanced training course for employees of Apulian municipalities the second edition of "Upskilling for Governance". Promoted by Puglia Region – Digital Growth Section together with the University of Bari and CINI (the National Interuniversity Consortium for Informatics), the course builds on the strong response to its first edition, which attracted more than 90 applications for 40 places.
With this second edition, GOVERNANCE is not simply repeating what was done before. It is building on an experience that has already shown its value, continuing to invest in the people who keep local administrations running every day. In this way, European cooperation turns support into something concrete: stronger skills within institutions, better working processes, and public services that can become simpler, safer and more effective for citizens.
The new edition offers 300 hours of training, combining 200 hours of e-learning on topics shared across the project’s cooperation area with 100 hours of in-person and laboratory-based activities, also delivered through webinars and designed around local needs. The course leads to 33 university credits awarded by the University of Bari and focuses on strategical and practical topics such as: digital public services, administrative simplification, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, European funds and project cycle management.
Applications are open from 24 March to 24 April 2026, with up to 40 participants to be selected. The call is addressed to employees of Apulian municipalities who hold at least a secondary school diploma and remain in service for the full duration of the course.
Applications must be submitted online through the University of Bari’s Esse3 platform, uploading the required PDF documents: a signed ID, tax code if available, signed CV, employee self-declaration (Module A), employer authorisation to attend the course, and a motivation letter using the official template (Module B). Selection will be based on qualifications and motivation, with an initial territorial balance across Apulia’s six provinces. To complete the course, participants must attend at least 80% of the activities and pass a final oral exam based on group work.
Full details on eligibility, documents and application procedures are available HERE on the University of Bari website.
The initiative is part of the GOVERNANCE strategic project, which brings together Apulia Region, Molise Region, SASPAC in Albania, and the Ministries of Finance and of European Affairs in Montenegro to help make public administration simpler, more digital and closer to citizens across the South Adriatic area.
