Executive education is becoming an increasingly strategic lever for supporting the evolution of Public Administration As public organizations navigate digital transformation, organizational change, and rising service complexity, investing in people’s capabilities is essential to improving institutional performance and delivering greater public value.

Against this backdrop, the Zangrillo Directive reinforces the strategic role of continuous professional development by introducing, among other measures, a minimum requirement of 40 hours of training per year for every public employee. More than a compliance measure, the Directive encourages public administrations to view learning as a driver of organizational development, innovation, and long-term value creation.

What the Directive provides

One of the Directive's key provisions requires all public administrations to provide at least 40 hours of training annually for every employee starting in 2025. However, the ambition goes well beyond fulfilling a quantitative requirement.

The Directive recognizes learning as a strategic enabler of the profound transformation underway across the public sector—from digitalization and organizational redesign to the development of the managerial capabilities needed to address increasingly complex policy and operational challenges.

As a result, simply delivering training is no longer sufficient. Public organizations are expected to design learning pathways that are aligned with strategic priorities, responsive to organizational needs, and capable of generating measurable impact.

A new role for Executive Education

The Directive places learning at the center of people management. Public administrations are expected to integrate development initiatives into their PIAO (Integrated Activity and Organization Plan), identify priority competencies, monitor learning outcomes, and assess their contribution to organizational performance.

Public managers also play a pivotal role. Promoting participation in executive education programs and supporting the continuous development of their teams are now integral to managerial responsibilities and performance evaluation.

Learning is therefore no longer a complementary activity, but a strategic investment in human capital and an essential capability for leading change.

Building the Skills for Tomorrow's Public Administration

The Directive highlights the importance of developing the capabilities that will enable public organizations to respond effectively to today's challenges and anticipate those of tomorrow.

Alongside technical expertise, increasing emphasis is placed on leadership, management, project management, innovation management, digital capabilities, and the ability to lead organizational transformation.

The objective is to build public administrations that are more agile, effective, and resilient—organizations equipped to create lasting public value while delivering better outcomes for citizens and businesses.

SDA Bocconi's Executive Education approach

The vision outlined by the Directive closely reflects the philosophy that has long shaped SDA Bocconi's Executive Education for the public sector.

Through the Government Academy and the Public Management & Policy area, SDA Bocconi designs executive education programs that help public sector executives, managers, and officials strengthen the capabilities required to lead today's organizations: strategic governance, leadership, innovation, resource management, organizational performance, and public value creation.

SDA Bocconi's programs support public administrations in meeting the objectives established by the Zangrillo Directive and can be incorporated into institutional learning and development plans.

The ambition, however, extends beyond regulatory compliance. The goal is to transform mandatory training hours into meaningful opportunities for individual growth, organizational development, and sustainable institutional impact.

Beyond the 40-hour requirement

The Zangrillo Directive marks an important shift in perspective. The required 40 hours of training should not be viewed as the destination, but as the starting point for building stronger institutions, more capable leaders, and higher-performing public organizations.

This is the perspective that guides SDA Bocconi's Executive Education: not simply helping organizations comply with a regulatory requirement, but enabling them to develop the leadership, capabilities, and vision needed to generate lasting public value.

SDA Bocconi School of Management