Under the framework of the IOTA 2023 Work Programme Activities, another great technical event was held from 14-16 November 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. After five years of operation in a row, the Meeting of IOTA Forum Human Resources Management “Innovations and Trends in Learning and Development (L&D) in a Modern Tax Administration” brought together over 50 tax officials from 26 IOTA member administrations gathering in person at the venue and had more than 70 participants in the online space. For the first time, the HRM Forum was hosted in collaboration with the current IOTA presidency, the National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (NTCA).
The 3-day hybrid event officially started with welcome remarks delivered by Alix Perrignon de Troyes, Executive Secretary of IOTA along with Zsuzsa Kecskés Szmetán, Deputy Head of the Department for International Relations of NTCA. This year’s activity particularly focused on the topic of Learning and Development of tax officials and explored new strategies and innovative approaches to L&D in tax administrations.
Every organisation needs to adapt to the emerging big trends affecting future work and this will be a major question of what HR leaders and professionals should do to prepare for the future. During the Forum, participants touched upon the different L&D practices of IOTA member countries, focusing on two main aspects the People (e.g., L&D strategies, future skills, leadership, mentoring, and coaching); and the Platforms and Technologies (e.g., online training tools, blended learning, knowledge transfer, learning management systems). The opening day of this event featured speakers from the following IOTA member countries:
- Austria: New approaches in talent management co-presented by Michael Steuer & Susanne Brunner;
- Azerbaijan: Capacity building process in tax organization of the Republic of Azerbaijan presented by Jeyhun Mehdiyev;
- Belgium: Life-long learning through a Learning Tech EcoSystem presented by Michael Vindevoghel;
- Greece: Rebranding training to reach employees’ upskilling and reskilling: the case of Tax and Customs Academy/IAPR presented by Panagiotis Ballas;
- Hungary: Training system in the NTCA of Hungary – targeted trainings and digital solutions presented by Zsolt Dézsi.
Tax authorities are undergoing a large-scale transformation of their operating models to deliver their services to taxpayers in the most efficient way. Such transformations are driven by the challenges arising from the post-pandemic period and global high-impact and the latest technological developments. The second day of the Forum revolved around the tax administration’s innovative approaches in the field of training needs assessment and targeted training programs as well as the application of Innovative L&D platforms and technologies. Plenary sessions put several IOTA member tax administrations into the spotlight and also welcomed speakers from our international partner organisation, the OECD FTA Secretariat’s Rana Hachem-Boulahia & Chair of HR COI, Sweden Ulrika Lindhoff, to give an overview of the operation of the Forum on Tax Administration (FTA) and speak about the latest developments of the Community of Interest on HR which runs under the FTA’s umbrella.
- Finland: Career mapping and development co-presented by Jaana Lokka-Palomaki & Suvi Juola;
- France: “Pac NUM” program to increase servants’ digital skills co-presented by Isabelle Oyarsabal, Marie Tiburce & Werner Colombani (joined online);
- Greece: Transforming tax education: exploring blended learning approaches and emerging trends for modern taxation presented by Vicky Kolovou;
- Ireland: Customer Service Taxes Technical Program presented by Mark Mccluskey;
- Romania: Onboarding/induction - process development in NAFA presented by Alexandru Crisan;
- Switzerland: Good Habitz – digital learning library presented by Phil Abgottspon.
Throughout the event, forum attendees were all able to exploit their creativity through a series of fun and interactive activities and challenges such as solving crossword puzzles in teams and using a ChatGPT simulation exercise. An interactive group coaching method was also unfolded at the event, the activity was designed and led by Karin Veski, Estonia allowing participants further opportunities to reflect on their own experiences, discuss problems, and consider solutions to any outstanding issues within the L&D area in tax administrations.
The closing day of the IOTA HRM Forum revolved around the question of how IOTA member tax officials are building new skills and competencies required in their working areas. The following IOTA member countries reflected the topic:
- Denmark: Empowering skill development in a rapidly expanding tax Administration presented by Daniel Aagaard Rasmussen (joined online);
- Greece: Attracting and retaining talent in Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR): integrating strategic human resource development into HR process co-presented by Sofia Chatzi & Maria Papadaki;
- Italy: Managerial training to the hybrid working model presented by Fabio Forzini.
At the end of the event, Forum attendees were actively involved in a Q&A session along with a final debate to share lessons learned, see if their expectations had been met, and discuss the main benefits of the 3-day technical activity. All the materials and presentations are now available online and the event recording will be made uploaded soon to the event’s webpage. This event was moderated by the IOTA International Taxation Expert Oksana Stepanenko and supported by the IOTA Strategy and Institutional Development Manager Roman Bichevoy.
