Three higher executive officers from my Department, one in 2003 and two in 2004, were successful candidates in the competition held by the Public Appointments Service for acceptance onto the masters programme in public policy analysis, a two year full-time programme delivered by the Institute of Public Administration in association with the faculty of commerce, UCD. The first year is a full time academic year and in the second year, candidates undertake a major evaluation project identified by my Department in co-operation with the centre for organisation and management of the Department of Finance and the Institute of Public Administration.
Candidates who are allocated a place on the programme are appointed to temporary supernumerary positions at assistant principal level on an acting basis. Upon satisfactory completion of the programme, candidates are assigned to a posting at assistant principal level to undertake work in public policy analysis.