Certification

Certification: you asked, we answer!

Assistants, Certification, Newsletter - 2021-03-04 Print This Post

*20.10.2022–14.12.2022: Evaluation and pre-selection of eligible applications by the DGs/Services for 2022/23 exercise*

You asked us (conference, 28.1.2021) how many assistants (ASTs) successfully complete the certification process (no mean feat!) but do not find an administrator (AD) post. This information is not so readily available but we’re good at digging and we asked HR to fill in some blanks and clear up discrepancies.

We count 1097 successful officials (the certifiés/those ’certified’ as apt [1]) in total from all 15 certification procedures to date (2005-2019 [2]) using HR reports for 2015 and 2019, together with administrative notices. HR confirms this count but provides figures which differ slightly from those published (see updated tables below [3]). Continue reading Certification: you asked, we answer! →

Certified ASTs: an endangered species?

Assistants, Certification, Newsletter - 2021-02-03, Promotions Print This Post

*20.10.2022–14.12.2022: Evaluation and pre-selection of eligible applications by the DGs/Services for 2022/23 exercise*

Belated congratulations to our 42 colleagues declared certifié in December 2020 *and 44 from 2021* they now finally begin the very last stage in this long and arduous quest, that of finding an AD post, well done and good luck in your search! Continue reading Certified ASTs: an endangered species? →

Certification in the JRC – one size does not fit all

Assistants, Certification, Geel, Ispra-Seville, Karlsruhe, Newsletter - 2020-09-28, Petten Print This Post

The numbers speak an unmistakable language.  The success rate of JRC ASTs in the certification procedure is considerably below that of ASTs from other DGs. While JRC’s ASTs accounted for approximately 9.5% of all ASTs in the Commission in 2019 [1], henceforth considered to be the benchmark, their share of certifications is much lower and persistently so (Figure 1): Except for a one-off-high in 2016 with a share of 7% (although still below 9.5%), the share of certifications in other years was much lower. Continue reading Certification in the JRC – one size does not fit all →

Certification procedure 2019

Certification, Newsletter #37 - Sep 2019 Print This Post

The 2019 Certification procedure call for applications is now open until 9 October 2019. The Certification, a procedure based on Article 45a of staff regulations, allows AST colleagues to get on the AD ship. There are of course some preconditions and procedures in order to be eligible for the certification. The most important is that you are already AST 5 or above and that in 2 of the previous 3 appraisal exercises you were marked as having “the potential required to take on the functions of an AD” by your reporting officer.

Deadline for the application is the 9th of October 2019. Applications must be done in Sysper. Continue reading Certification procedure 2019 →

The pink bubble of wishful thinking and the truth about AST career future

Assistants, Certification, Newsletter #28 - Apr 2018, z Newsletter article Print This Post

On 8 March Generation 2004 organized a lunchtime conference dedicated to the career prospects for AST colleagues. The date was chosen deliberately as a reminder for the predominantly female gender ratio in the AST category. And while at a parallel event organized by DG HR on the same day, colleagues were presented a pink-optimistic picture about the career prospects for females in the Commission, we spoke facts (see presentation here): since 2004 there was a deliberate policy of juniorisation of recruitment with a consequent even more deliberate framing of the recruited in the AST category. Continue reading The pink bubble of wishful thinking and the truth about AST career future →

Candy Crush 2014

Certification, Features, Promotions Print This Post

OCTOBER 2014 – Candy Crush 2014: How DG HR plans to circumvent the statute and use more EU admin budget to benefit top-earners without management responsibility

Candyland

You may remember that in our June newsletter we had expressed the hope that the Commission would make positive use of the new provisions in the staff regulations, which (justifiably) limit the career progression of AD12+ staff without any management responsibility. Continue reading Candy Crush 2014 →