A survey of the training needs of French municipalities

As part of the preparatory work for the Training programme design activity carried out by the consortium partners, GIP FIPAN carried out an online survey from 21 February to 10 March to gather opinions on the training needs of French municipalities and their staff in the field of sustainable development. 

The questionnaire, translated into French and accompanied by a short presentation of the project, was sent by e-mail to 13 contacts in 12 municipalities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the south of France, and more specifically in the Alpes-Maritimes (where GIP FIPAN's offices are located) and Var departments.

Only one municipality, Mandelieu-La Napoule (Alpes-Maritimes), replied to our request and one of its employees took part in the survey.

Although we did not receive the number of responses we had hoped for (five), we have taken this feedback into account and analysed it, as it provides us with useful information on the views of local municipal employees in France.

The answers to the questionnaire show that our respondent is interested in environmental and sustainable development issues, although she does not work in this field. Her knowledge is limited to the projects organised by her employer, so it seems essential to involve local authorities in this approach, as well as their employees. She is well aware of the lack of training in this area among local authority staff, but is interested in improving her knowledge.

In conclusion, the responses received are positive for the project as they show a real need for green skills training, if not in France, then at least in the Alpes-Maritimes department.