Although the term ‘talent management’ requires a more clear-cut definition, in the context of EPSA workshops, it is based on a holistic understanding and includes all employees plus their competences. It is important to promote these from the beginning of a person’s professional career, to its end, and to use them for the benefit of the organisation. In this respect, talent management is not only focused on discovering and promoting talents for a management career. This aspect is currently in the spotlight, including in view of the expected retirement of many staff members. Succession planning is just as important as competence development and knowledge transfer: on-boarding and off-boarding should become integral parts of the HR cycle, with solid strategic HR planning being a major prerequisite.

Overall, in view of the shortage of skilled workers, new talent groups must be leveraged and recruitment processes redesigned. Administration must position itself as a competitive employer. For example, sustainable HR management, ecological awareness in the organization and corresponding measures, career opportunities at every phase of life, diversity management, participation and collaboration all offer incentives to attract and retain talent.

In times of permanent change and crisis public administration needs a solid strategic workforce planning (quantitative as well as qualitative) as the base for evidence- based strategies and policies. Therefore in this module we will be focusing on skills needed to develop and establish at least a short-term HR-planning systems. In the second part we will have a look on some good practices to develop a demography strategy, generation management and “Green HRM” to support ecological transition.