Public Affairs Ireland | Training and Development | Conferences
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Enhance your expertise in Strategic Public Procurement with PAI’s 8-day certificate programme. Designed for public sector professionals, this programme combines expert insights, practical case studies, and the latest strategies in procurement law, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Ireland's first cross-sector programme dedicated to developing the regulatory profession.
Developed using the UK's Core Regulatory Skills Framework and adapted for the Irish regulatory environment.
Today's regulators operate in an environment characterised by technological disruption, increasing public expectations, evolving policy priorities and growing scrutiny of regulatory decisions. Regulatory professionals are expected to exercise sound judgement, apply regulatory powers proportionately, make evidence-based decisions and deliver effective outcomes while maintaining public trust and confidence.
While many regulatory staff possess significant technical and sectoral expertise, there is growing recognition of the need to develop the professional capabilities required for modern regulatory practice.
This 3 day course will provide public sector employees with the essential knowledge and skills in public financial procedures and control. It will build skills and competence in important and essential aspects of financial management.
This two-day course will demonstrate how to effectively apply best practice public procurement processes to ensure compliance while also delivering optimal value, service, quality, innovation and reduced risk for your organisation.
The development of public policy is a key responsibility of the Government and remains a key focus for public servants across all sectors. This accredited programme provides practical guidance and background knowledge to enable participants to grasp and understand policy development and delivery. It has been designed to provide participants with both the theoretical foundations and practical application skills required for modern public policy development.
This programme (running over two half days) is designed to provide public sector professionals with a practical and accessible understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Literacy, and the organisational responsibilities associated with AI adoption within modern working environments.
This programme is aligned with the updated Capability Framework Overview. This framework supports the key grades in building a diverse and talented workforce for the future, capable of collaboratively delivering excellence on behalf of civil and public service.
The programme is grounded in real-world public sector challenges and aligns with Irish procurement practice, including OGP guidance and EU Classic and Utilities Directives. Participants will explore how the discipline supports decision-making, governance and value delivery across the procurement lifecycle.
This workshop will help you understand and fulfil your role as an interviewer working on a Public Sector Interview Board (or Interview Panel) who is interviewing based on the new Civil Service Capability Framework.
The aim of this half day seminar is to give participants a platform to explore how they manage their time. It will give an appreciation of how time, when proactively managed, can be used to achieve personal and organisational objectives more efficiently and effectively.
This workshop uses a variety of authentic material and is suitable for anyone who would like to ensure that all of their written material is correct and consistent.
Transformation is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the high complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.
This course is intended to introduce the fundamentals of the GDPR. The comprehensive structured approach to training provides practical, in-depth understanding of the scope, core concepts, principles and requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation.
This one-day masterclass is designed to give an overview of the current trends and best practices in project management. This practical masterclass is focused on teaching the fundamental project management techniques and skills for organising and managing all size projects.
Change leadership helps organisations to transition smoothly during periods of change—whether it's new technology, restructuring, updated processes, or cultural shifts. This programme for public sector leaders is designed for leaders with the aim to support, lead out on and deliver the change needed to enable the successful implementation of organisational strategy.
The new Infrastructure Guidelines came into operation on 1 January 2024. They replace the previous Public Spending Code. PAI’s panel of expert speakers will cover the evaluation tools through a blend of lectures, case-studies and question-and answer sessions.
At the end of the seminar, participants will have a good understanding of how the Infrastructure Guidelines should be applied in their workplace.
This programme is aligned with the updated Capability Framework Overview. This framework supports the key grades in building a diverse and talented workforce for the future, capable of collaboratively delivering excellence on behalf of civil and public service.
This seminar will take you through the contract process and will provide good foundational knowledge for both the drafting and reading of contracts.
This half day online seminar will give attendees the opportunity to learn about the Regulatory Impact Assessment process at a basic level. RIAs were first introduced in 2005. Since then, Government Departments and Offices have been required to conduct RIAs on proposals for primary legislation that involve changes to the regulatory framework.
This one-day online training course will focus on the requirements for processing a request. It will examine the application of certain exemptions, the appeals process, procedural issues, key OCEI decisions and more. Participants will leave the course with a much more advanced understanding of the AIE Regulations.
Gain the foundational knowledge you need to award and monitor your grants and cooperative agreements effectively from pre-award through to project closeout. This 3-day online programme is designed for employees of Government bodies that award and/or oversee grants and cooperative agreements, including grant management specialists, grants officials, project officers, governance officials and procurement professionals.
Building on the success of our 2025 event, PAI’s Strategic Public Procurement Conference 2026 returns as a strengthened, more connected forum, bringing together a growing network of procurement leaders, policy makers, legal experts and industry partners who are acting as real change champions across the public sector.
This is more than a conference…It is a joined-up strategic think tank for public procurement transformation, designed to share lived experience, practical solutions and tested approaches from across the system. Public sector professionals will learn directly from the successes and challenges faced by peers, gaining tangible takeaways, tools and insights that can be applied immediately to Get It Done.
This one-day interactive workshop equips leaders with practical frameworks to align strategic vision with evidence-based decision making. Participants will explore how to translate policy intent into clear strategic priorities, use data and insights to inform key decisions, and lead a culture that values evidence, accountability, and learning.
This masterclass will grant attendees the skills required when interacting and working closely with legislative updates and will offer a detailed outline on the legislative process and drafting while also providing a detailed look at the structure of legislation.
It is critical that HR professionals are aware of the requirements of data protection regulations and process personal data accordingly. It is also essential that they are ware what to do if a breach of this information occurs in the workplace, how to recognise a breach and who to contact.
ESG & Sustainability is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the medium complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.
This training workshop will equip participants with the knowledge and skills they need to ensure equality in the interview selection process. The workshop is delivered through a range of practical exercises and case studies.
Effective telephone techniques is important for several reasons, especially in professional settings. It helps individuals develop clear and effective communication skills, ensuring that messages are conveyed accurately and understood by the caller. For roles involving customer interactions, such as customer service representatives or support staff, effective telephone communication is crucial.
As a HR professional, a lot of work involves providing advice and training on good practice employee relations to public sector HR professionals. Most grievance, disciplinary and dignity at work policies emphasise the importance of early interventions and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation. However the reality is that grievances, dignity at work and disciplinary issues often escalate to the formal stage of a policy where issues or conflict cannot be resolved informally.
The course equips FOI Decision Makers and Internal Reviewers with the skills, knowledge and competencies needed to take a pragmatic approach and focus on practical FOI tasks using the relevant law and guidelines. Participants get the opportunity to share their own experiences and get a valuable insight into issues highlighted by an expert in the field, as well as an understanding of best practice.
The aim of this course is to provide public servants with the information, knowledge and competencies in the area of public law so that they have the ability to fulfil their roles and securing an accredited qualification following a condensed and focused course. The course will take a practical approach, focusing on the key legal principles, but applying them to everyday situations.
Green Public Procurement offers public bodies a means to lead sustainable development in their sector, engaging suppliers to reduce the environmental impacts across their product and service life cycles; developing the circular economy and reducing costs to Public Bodies.
Writing is an essential feature of many jobs. Whether you write emails to customers, reports for publication, content for website, or marketing materials, the ability to write clearly, concisely and professionally is a vital skill. In this highly practical workshop, a professional writer shares their expertise – to ensure you take away the tools and confidence to write effectively at work.
Category Management is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the high complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.
Transform your approach to data leadership with this comprehensive program designed specifically for public sector professionals. This course moves beyond technology implementation to focus on the strategic, cultural, and leadership dimensions of data management that drive real organisational success.
Supply Chain & SRM is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the high complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.
Today’s legal professionals are no longer just interpreters of the law. They are trusted advisers, helping organisations navigate complexity, manage risk and enable confident, legally robust decision-making. PAI’s Public Sector Legal Forum 2026 brings together legal professionals from Government Departments, Local Authorities, State Agencies, Regulators and the wider public service to explore the cross-cutting issues shaping today’s public legal practice. Through practical case studies, expert insights and peer discussion, delegates will examine how to balance legal risk with organisational priorities, strengthen governance, embrace artificial intelligence responsibly and deliver advice that supports better public outcomes.
Tender Strategy is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the high complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.
Low Value RFQ is designed as part of a progressive procurement capability pathway and builds upon foundational learning provided through core public procurement programmes. This course focuses on developing practical, applied skills relevant to the low complexity level and is suitable for both procurement professionals and business stakeholders.