What is the KMST?
KMST stands for Knowledge Management and Staff Training. It’s one of the ways that the NA network cooperates together for the common good.
KMST is a framework and tool. It helps individuals that work at National Agencies (and SALTO Resource Centres) to learn more and develop competences to be able to do their job better, and therefore to implement the European Youth Programmes better. As the role of NA officers has grown stronger connections with youth policy over recent years, the KMST approach has adapted to also support this.
Knowledge Management
KMST helps with managing knowledge too. When experienced people leave their National Agency, they often take with them expertise and knowledge. As a network, we try hard to make sure knowledge is passed on and grows WITHIN the network, through all the initiatives, training courses and offers we provide, rather than being lost when individuals leave.
Who makes KMST happen?
At the moment, the KMST working group consists of representatives from 5 National Agencies and SALTO T&C that helps co-ordinate it. Other staff from other NAs have contributed also in the past - and we are very open to new staff joining in the future. To be part of the network’s KMST working group, you should have a management, human resources or team-coordination role, so that you have an understanding of what’s going on in your NA about staff development.
What activities are there?
The KMST supervises the organisation of 15-17 staff meetings per year (the number can vary according to needs), which are hosted by different NAs. There is a shared calendar that shows the spread and balance of the meetings for the current year and the next year.
Covid changed the whole picture, and everything went on line, but we are starting to organise in-person events again now (although online parts can and will remain).
What else does the KMST do?
KMST working group has also provided guidelines and templates for organising staff training events (with an update coming soon, focusing on giving more space to quality), a training strategy, regular updates of the training calendar, as well as surveys every 18-24 months (this helps to see the needs of individuals, the frequency that trainings should happen, the topics to address etc). We have just analysed the most recent survey, and it’s being presented at the NA Business Meeting in March 2022, Paris. One of the next tasks of the KMST is to look at job-shadowing between National Agencies, how it is done at the moment, what works well/not, and how to capitalise on that.
KMST NA Competence Framework
One exciting recent outcome of the KMST is the NA Competence Framework (Click here to read more). This was built with and for the NA network, asking NA officers "what it means to do their job well?". The Framework will help give a common language to the network, make an easier entrance for newcomers, broaden the scope of KMST activiites, as well as provide concrete tools for self-assessment and feedback. The aim of it is to be flexible and future-proof, adjusting to what comes related to needs, roles and what the future brings.
