Digital transformation is at the heart of all government work. New technologies, like AI and quantum computing, are playing an increasingly vital role in public services, policy, and operations. The challenge for government is clear: strengthen digital skills and create a modern working environment for all civil servants.
The Digital Proficiency Acceleration Team, led by Tanja van Burgel, is taking concrete steps to drive this change forward. As Van Burgel puts it: “Digitalisation touches everything we do.”
Not only for IT professionals
The ‘Digital Proficiency’ priority within the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) focuses on strengthening digital skills and creating a modern, secure working environment for all civil servants. Tanja van Burgel, Chair of the acceleration team driving this initiative, emphasises its importance: “Our employees want to do their jobs well, safely, and efficiently. That’s why it’s crucial for all civil servants to understand how digitalisation is transforming their work and how to adapt.”
As Director of the Concern Directorate for Information Provision and Disclosure (CDIO) at the Ministry of Finance, Van Burgel also represents the CIO Council on this topic. Her motivation is clear: “Digitalisation is no longer just a support function. It’s at the heart of public service delivery for all government bodies.”
Digital proficiency: a challenge for all
For Tanja van Burgel, digital proficiency extends far beyond strengthening IT professionals. The focus is equally on the vast majority of non-IT civil servants, whose roles are increasingly shaped by data, systems, and automation. “This isn’t just about IT teams or highly trained specialists,” Van Burgel explains. “It’s about every civil servant. Every employee needs to understand the opportunities and risks of technology, so it works for them, not against them. The challenge is finding the balance: harnessing the potential of digitalisation while maintaining control.”
At the Ministry of Finance, this shift is already underway. Civil servants complete e-learning modules on information security, executives receive training on the upcoming Cybersecurity Act (Cbw), and staff are briefed on the impact of events like cyber threats. “Our goal is to empower people to make informed choices. Not by pointing fingers, but by giving them the right tools to make sound decisions.”
Toward a workforce strategy for digitalisation
The Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) highlights the importance of developing a government-wide digitalisation workforce strategy as a key priority. Tanja van Burgel considers this strategy vital for targeted skill development, career advancement, and recruitment.
“We need to map out what digitalisation means for all civil servants,” she explains. “What knowledge and skills are required, and what development pathways align with those needs?” These pathways are essential for both IT professionals and non-IT staff. Emerging themes, such as quantum computing, algorithm governance, and the secure use of AI, require expertise that is still rare. “Some skills barely exist yet. We need to consider how to develop them: what training fits, and what career routes we can offer.”
Career mobility within digital roles is another focus. Clear career paths help employees and managers progress professionally. “People need to know that after 3 years in a role, the next step is possible. That’s how we retain talent.”
Shared talent pools for more efficient capacity and knowledge use
A key element of the strategy is developing and expanding central talent pools for digital professionals. While these pools already exist within the national government, such as the Rijks ICT-Gilde (RIG) and I-Interim Rijk (IIR), they are not yet accessible to local and regional authorities. Tanja van Burgel sees untapped potential here: “I prefer using these pools because they bring in professionals who understand both their field and the public sector. That’s far more valuable than repeatedly hiring and retraining external staff, which leads to lost knowledge.”
The idea of shared pools goes beyond national government. Municipalities, provinces, and water authorities often have their own pools, but they aren’t used collaboratively. “Ideally, everyone could access the same pools. This would create development opportunities for employees and ensure more efficient use of capacity and expertise.”
To make this happen, administrative and legal adjustments are needed. “We’re now exploring what it takes to open these pools government-wide. They’re already in high demand because they work so well. But broadening access would improve how we deploy resources.”
A Workplace that enables, not hinders
Another key goal of the priority is creating a modern digital workplace. This environment must enable civil servants to work safely, efficiently, and effectively. Within the national government, shared solutions, such as a single document management system for multiple departments, are already being explored. Tanja van Burgel sees this as a necessary step: “Civil servants shouldn’t waste hours searching for information. You want a workplace that enables, not hinders.”
This workplace directly connects to other NDS priorities, such as AI, cloud computing, and digital resilience. New tools often rely on cloud technology, raise security questions, and impact information management. “Digital Proficiency cuts across everything, precisely because it’s about the people who use it.”
Fragmentation and lack of awareness
The biggest obstacle to improvement, according to Van Burgel, is fragmentation within government. Digitalisation covers many subfields, making it difficult to maintain oversight and coherence. “IT is fragmented. There are so many different topics that it’s hard to see where people are and what’s needed.”
Recruitment and career progression also pose challenges. Traineeships work well for young talent, but lateral entrants lack structured pathways. “Mentoring takes time and effort, but it pays off. Interns and career changers bring fresh knowledge and energy.”
Collaboration between government academies and market leaders could also enhance training offerings. Some courses belong in government academies, while others are better suited to private-sector providers. “It should be a collaboration, not just 1 training per year, but a mix that inspires and advances people.”
Key priorities for the coming year
Over the next 12 to 18 months, Van Burgel identifies 3 priorities:
- Expanding shared IT talent pools: “This allows faster, collective use of existing capacity and more efficient deployment of scarce expertise.”
- Implementing KWIV for clarity and vision: KWIV (Dutch) provides a common language for IT profiles, based on the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF). It includes 64 standardised profiles, helping to shape a robust workforce strategy. “It’s not about comparing people, but understanding what skills exist and where development is needed.”
- Scaling up training through government academies and private partners: “Every government organisation developing its own courses doesn’t make sense. By working together, we can spread knowledge faster.”
Small pilots and practical experiments should also create space for innovation. Van Burgel mentions ideas, such as a task exchange platform, that would allow organisations to temporarily share staff. “There are legal challenges, but these are exactly the steps needed to spread digital skills more widely. Many good examples and collaborations already exist. We just need to scale and share them. Our acceleration team has the energy for this; let’s avoid reinventing the wheel and instead build on what works.”
Digital Proficiency is never finished
Looking ahead, Van Burgel hopes this priority will deliver visible results within a year. “I want to say we haven’t just identified obstacles, we’ve removed them. That the IT pools are truly functional and training is widely accessible.”
In the long term, she sees no endpoint for digital proficiency. Technology evolves too quickly to ever consider it complete. “Digital proficiency is never finished. It’s about staying agile and creating a system where employees can keep pace with new developments.”
Her message to fellow government bodies is simple and powerful: “We really need to do this together. We have a fantastic team, but it only works if everyone is willing to look beyond rules and boundaries. Let’s try something bold; take that first step from paper to practice. Let’s allow our people to freely share knowledge and experience, and make use of all the training the government offers. And let’s give them the space to contribute anywhere within government. We are the largest ICT employer in the Netherlands; let’s leverage the scale advantages that come with it.”
