To the attention of municipalities – save the date and join a “Municipal Digital Leader: Foundations for a Confident Start” Training Programme created by U-LEAD with Europe. Registration is open till 03 September 2026, the Training Programme will be held online, free of charge. The number of participants is limited.

Not sure where to start with your municipality’s digital transformation? Lacking practical tools to assess digital maturity and set development priorities? Struggling to explain the management value of the digital leader’s role to your leadership? Need basic knowledge of cybersecurity and digital accessibility to confidently perform CDTO functions?

We invite you to join the Training Programme “Municipal Digital Leader: Foundations for a Confident Start” and, together with U-LEAD experts, take your first confident steps in the role of a municipal digital leader.

What is it?

This is an opportunity to gain the basic competencies needed to perform the functions of a municipal digital leader (CDTO) and to move from a purely technical to a managerial understanding of this role. The programme is a practical starting point for those already appointed to the role but not yet trained, and it does not duplicate the CDTO Campus programme — it precedes and prepares participants for it.

Within the Training Programme, participants will learn to:

• diagnose the municipality’s digital development: determine the current state (“digital profile”) and set priorities for 3, 6 and 12 months;
• justify to leadership and colleagues the management value of the digital leader (CDTO) position and the resources it requires;
• prepare public services for digitalisation: analyse them from a resident’s perspective and move them toward an “as is / to be” format;
• organise the municipality’s data: carry out an inventory, build a register and prepare a simple dashboard for management decisions;
• assess web accessibility: conduct an express audit of a website or document and set accessibility requirements for contractors in procurement;
• strengthen cyber hygiene: assess risks, implement basic security rules (passwords, MFA, backups) and follow a response algorithm in case of a cyber incident;
• coordinate municipal services into a single system: align the work of the ASC (CNAP), electronic document management (EDM) and the “Vulyk” information system.

When?

The programme will run from 29 September to 20 October 2026 and will include seminars and trainings. Participation is free of charge.

Who can participate?

Local self-government officials who have been officially assigned the function / authority for digital transformation of the municipality (digital transformation officers) are invited to participate — one representative per municipality with a population of up to 50,000 residents, located (or relocated) and operating in territory controlled by Ukraine, including those relocated from temporarily occupied territories or areas of active hostilities. The municipality must have an officially appointed digital transformation officer, or the relevant duties must be officially assigned to an existing local self-government official (by order / decree).

The total number of participants will be 96 persons.

Candidate requirements:

• confident use of a computer and the internet, basic proficiency with office software (Word, Excel, e-mail) and state information systems / portals;
• high motivation to pursue digital transformation of public services, strengthen the municipality’s cyber resilience, and take on a managerial — not only technical — digital leader role;
• technical capacity to participate in online activities (a microphone and camera are mandatory).

Important: participation in the CDTO Campus training programme constitutes grounds for restriction from participation in this programme.

How to apply?

Call for Applications are open until 3 September 2026 (inclusive).

To apply, please contact the Regional Office of U-LEAD in your oblast (contact addresses can be found at the following link: HERE)