A new strategy aimed at boosting skills in the Civil Service has been launched.
Civil Service head Gus O’Donnell said the ‘Building Professional Skills for Government’ programme would help departments improve value for money and ensure employees are better prepared for a career in the Civil Service.
Government Skills, the sector skills council for central government, has worked with HR directors and learning practitioners, heads of professions and permanent secretaries to develop the strategy.
O’Donnell said: “The global economy is changing rapidly. China and India are growing dramatically and their workforces are becoming ever more highly qualified. The UK’s ability to keep pace in this competitive environment will be determined by the skills of its workforce.
“The Civil Service is no exception – the public rightly expects us to do more with less.”
Evidence from the Capability Reviews of government departments has shown that delivery of services could improve further if skills gaps were addressed. Research with training providers showed that departments were not acting together.
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An extra 500 additional apprenticeships will be created in government departments, and Ian Watmore, permanent secretary at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, has been appointed the new Civil Service apprenticeships champion.
The strategy also identifies a programme of engagement, with the higher and further education sectors to help to develop the skills required by government employers in the years to come.
