The Ecole Nationale d'Administration and the Civil Service College

Abstract

The Eleventh Report of the Select Committee on Expenditure of 1977 reflected the concern felt in Britain, and indeed throughout Europe, that a modern, efficient civil service should have the capacity to cope with the increasing technological complexity of advanced industrialised nations. In this context, the recruitment and training of an efficient bureaucracy is of paramount importance. The training of civil servants in Britain and France highlights the different priorities within the two civil services and also differences in educational traditions and social structures. Nevertheless, both countries are trying to produce civil servants who can cope with similar problems. The modern bureaucrat needs wide-ranging abilities to assess and implement policies. An appreciation of technological advances, an understanding of economics, an insight into political institutions, pressure groups and international repercussions are to be counted among the numerous requirements for an adaptable bureaucrat. The training of the future cream of the administrative class is viewed as a means of providing these entrants with the initiative, confidence and general ability to apply solutions to problems in the form of legislation. The origins of both the Civil Service College in Britain and the Ecole Nationale d'Administration in France differ widely although their aims converge towards the same need for an educated, capable and efficient administrative class. The first initiative for the creation of a college for civil servants in Britain dates back to the Charter Act of 1833. The College at Haileybury, which was opened for a year only, was designed to meet the requirements of the East India Company. Its administrators had received no proper training as such, but learnt their duties as they carried them out. With a move towards an increase in responsibility, the emphasis was laid on educational qualifications and a system of open competition was initiated. It was intended to remove the inequalities of patronage, which up to then was the accepted method of entry. The Northcote Trevelyan Report of 1854 insisted on merit for recruitment. It also laid down the principle that the recruit should be moved round various departments as an integral part of his training. It was not until 1968, with the Fulton Report, that the need for an institution of training was felt as a vital requirement for entrants wishing to become top administrators. This led to the opening of the Civil Service College in 1970. Training in Britain rests on a tradition of 'all-rounders', whereas France prides itself on a class of specialists whose recruitment was originally based on privilege. Under the Old Regime in France, there was a single administrative elite recruited mostly among the 'Noblesse de Robe'; the 'Maitres des Requites' went through an induction course before they were sent out to the provinces. They were expected to perpetuate the values of the King's service. Napoleon I added another grade to the hierarchy-the 'auditeurs'-and aimed at efficiency