Written evidence from the Cabinet Office (SLC 03)

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Strategic Leadership in the Civil Service: Building Future Capacity inquiry

The Civil Service welcomes this enquiry as an opportunity to set out and receive the Committee's feedback on our approaches to building capability, including leadership capability.

Our vision for A Brilliant Civil Service and the accompanying Workforce Plan (published in 2016) continue to drive our priorities, and whilst there is more to do, we believe we have made great strides in ensuring the Civil Service has the capability it needs to meet the needs of the citizens and the government that it serves. 

Our ongoing work to professionalise the Civil Service is at the heart of our approach, and we are continuing to professionalise our core capabilities, including operational delivery and policy, and we have introduced a functional model across government.  This provides the expertise needed to deliver an increasingly complex agenda, allows more coherent and targeted development, ensures better workforce planning and recruitment, and provides clear lines of accountability.  Moreover, it ensures all civil servants develop a blend of core Civil Service and profession-specific skills.

We take a strategic view of the Civil Service as one system, as A Brilliant Civil Service.  We are developing a strategy for learning within the Civil Service, which goes beyond the traditional focus on building individual capability to consider how we expand and embed organisational learning, recognising that failing to learn has been a problem in the past, and learning from failure is essential to our future.  This learning strategy will help us bring to life the principles embedded within our learning provision, that learning is most effective when it is led by the learner, relevant, contextually embedded, and continuous.  Alongside the learning strategy we are developing our strategic approach to Civil Service leadership, defining the Civil Service leader of the future by drawing together rich thinking developed within departments, professions and our leadership cohort.  This will improve our cultivation of leadership skills at all levels of the organisation.  It will also inform improved coordination between our activities to identify, recruit, develop, manage, and promote our leaders of the future.

Our approach to building capacity and capability involves interdependent standards, structures, and processes that operate across government, supported by the strategic vision and oversight of the Leadership and Learning Board:

1.  Professional standards

As part of our agenda to professionalise government, we are developing clear professional career frameworks.  Career pathways bring together professional standards with potential pathways for deepening expertise or expanding responsibilities, alongside learning and development activity that builds capability to reach the standards.  Once developed, these frameworks drive professionalism, facilitate career development, and support selection.  The frameworks will reflect a consistent definition of job families; levels rather than grade (for improved equivalence between professions and to facilitate external recruitment); common elements and standards, for example on management and leadership; and alignment with the new success profiles model of recruitment, with recognises technical skill.  An example of the Project Delivery profession Capability Framework is available on gov.uk (link below)[1].

2.  Cross-government learning infrastructure

Our model is built on a system of dedicated professional Academies, with the Civil Service Leadership Academy (CSLA) at its apex.  Our academies, professions, and departments provide learning that develops the technical skill of our workforce where and when they need it.  Underpinning this decentralised learning system, we retain a strong core provision for those skills and capabilities required by all civil servants.  This is provided by Civil Service Learning (CSL), via an improved portfolio of products delivered through a new Learning Platform for Government.  The Learning Platform for Government enhances the relevance, quality, and accessibility of learning across the organisation, maximising take-up and facilitating ‘just in time’ learning.  We carried out a comprehensive review of centralised learning provision in 2017-18, and we are continuing to implement strategic improvements to the model.

3.  Talent management and accelerated development

We continue to support the development needs of high-potential individuals, through our established accelerated development schemes and the award-winning Civil Service Fast Stream. The accelerated development schemes are available at specific career stages and include: Future Leaders Scheme (400 Band A individuals p.a), Senior Leaders Scheme (100 SCS pay band 1 individuals p.a); High Potential Development Scheme (30-35 pay band 2 individuals p.a), and the Individual Development Programme (10-14 Directors General per year).  These programmes undergo continuous improvement and deliver high-quality, context-specific training that remains highly competitive and attractive to staff, complementing programmes run in departments and professions. Our talent management process allows us to identify, develop, engage, and retain our high-potential individuals.  Alongside our workforce planning, it allows us to be agile, deploying our highly skilled people to the right place at the right time in response to the needs of the organisation, as demonstrated in our response to the administrative demands of EU Exit.

4.  Governance

The Leadership and Learning Board provides strategic direction and oversight of all learning activity and leadership development in the Civil Service, including governance of CSL and the CSLA.  A formal sub-board of the Civil Service Board, the Leadership and Learning Board comprises Permanent Secretaries and Directors General who are able to assure and inform the implementation of this model for learning.

Whilst we believe we are making good progress in improving our delivery and strategy for learning in the Civil Service, we welcome this opportunity to draw on the convening power and expertise of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, and to receive its feedback and insights. 

1.  How should the Civil Service sustain itself as an institution?

The Civil Service is continuously evolving, whilst maintaining its core values and traditional strengths.  This means building the expertise needed to support the government and citizens now and in the future, whilst strengthening and embedding the skills and values that underpin our ability to function as an effective organisation. 

From individual to system level, we collectively continue to work towards the Civil Service Vision 2015 to 2020, of A Brilliant Civil Service: improved outcomes; effective leadership; skilled people; a great place to work.  This sets out our vision and drives our priorities.  Our ongoing work to professionalise the Civil Service, and strengthen its core capabilities, demonstrate our commitment to realising this vision:

●       Since 2013, we have made strides in professionalising core Civil Service capabilities, including the introduction of a functional delivery model.  This ensures a consistent approach to delivering against key government priorities through, for example, better financial management, commercial procurement, and project and programme delivery.  Functions deliver a defined and cross-cutting set of services to departments, and the Civil Service as a whole.  Each function is accountable for setting cross government strategies, delivering expert advice, developing professional capabilities and setting and assuring standards.  Heads of Profession have responsibility for setting clear standards for people operating within their profession, supported by professional career frameworks that articulates the depth and breadth of capability needed now and in the future.  As the Academy that builds cross-government leadership and management capability, the new Civil Service Leadership Academy will play a key role in maintaining and embedding institutional knowledge and values throughout the Civil Service. 

●       The Civil Service launched its Workforce Plan in 2016, underpinned by the vision of A Brilliant Civil Service.  The Workforce Plan ensures we further embed the values we want to maintain, whilst continuing to develop and grow as an institution.  This includes ensuring the Civil Service reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, underpinned by our 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which sets out how we will become the most inclusive employer in the UK by 2020.  Growing our leadership capability is also at the heart of the Workforce Plan, ensuring we have world-class leaders who demonstrate the core Civil Service values; and attracting and retaining the right individuals.  It also provides clarity about the priority work strands relating to increased capacity and capability growth across the Civil Service as a whole.

2.  How does the Civil Service build its future capacity?

Building the capacity and capability needed to serve citizens and the government, now and in the future, is a priority for the Civil Service.  As part of their collective leadership responsibility for the Civil Service, senior leaders consider its capacity requirements through the Civil Service Board, People Board, Leadership and Learning Board, Heads of Departments group and the wider Civil Service Leadership Group.  The Civil Service Workforce Plan then enables a coordinated approach to capability-building, through interdependent activities:

●       Developing world-class leaders at all levels of the organisation.  The Civil Service Fast Stream and Accelerated Development schemes develop our leadership pipeline by identifying, supporting and accelerating high potential civil servants.  They deliver additional leadership education and career development, and facilitate progress to more demanding and complex roles.  The schemes build networks and cultivate self-awareness, offering core leadership and capability modules (digital, project delivery and commercial) plus the offer of mentoring and sponsorship, action learning sets, and 360 feedback.  The Civil Service Leadership Academy, launched in October 2017, provides learning that builds leadership and management capability across the Civil Service.  As a cross-cutting offer which complements and supports professional and departmental development activities, it forms an apex Academy for the Civil Service as a whole.  For example, the CSLA provides inductions for those transitioning into each SCS grade, and for those joining the SCS from external organisations, recognising the challenges faced by external hires as highlighted in the Baxendale Report (2015).  It also provides formal learning activities that support transitions between SCS roles, and development within roles.

●       Employing the right people.  Attracting and retaining talent, and ensuring the Civil Service reflects the diversity of the communities it serves, are at the heart of our Workforce Plan.  To deliver a modern, fairer and more inclusive approach to selection, we have made positive changes to the way the Civil Service recruits.  The new Success Profiles (launched June 2018) widen selection criteria to include strengths, experience, technical skill, and ability - introduced to attract people of talent and experience from a range of sectors and all walks of life into the Civil Service.  Having attracted talented people into the Civil Service, we provide access to an induction programme that is supported by line managers, including cross-government learning relevant to all civil servants, along with development and career frameworks linked to their professional identity. 

●       Ensuring we have the right skills.  Robust strategic workforce planning is vital to ensure that the Civil Service understands the skills and expertise that are required to deliver government priorities in a changing environment.  For example, in responding to the demand for new skills and expertise in response to EU Exit, the EU Capability and Capacity Programme brings together departments and functions to look at the sources of supply, where gaps might be anticipated, and how we can plan to fill these.  Through this collaborative planning activity, the Civil Service was able to meet demand for 96% EU exit capability in 2017/18.  To support improved strategic workforce planning capability across the Civil Service, including within the functions and professions, a structured learning programme for HR, finance and operations is due to launch in 2019, as part of a programme of workforce planning capability building across the Civil Service.  A cross-government programme of activity to standardise data and workforce reporting is facilitating improved determination of the current stock of skills and expertise.  This will enable coherent, efficient reporting by departments, functions and professions which will support the annual Workforce Projections Exercise.  As we build our strategic workforce planning capability across the Civil Service, we will improve our ability to articulate future demand for the skills and expertise required to deliver government priorities.  As part of our cross-government workforce planning the Civil Service Fast Stream and Accelerated Development schemes develop our leadership pipeline of high-potential individuals.  We actively promote vacancies for senior and complex roles to scheme participants so that we can deploy high potential individuals where and when they are needed. 

●       Providing a learning and development offer that best supports our people to develop the unique skills needed in the modern Civil Service.  Our ability to learn fast, adapt and manage change, has never been more important, and learning is a key strategic lever for ensuring we realise our ambition of A Brilliant Civil Service.  The Civil Service carried out a comprehensive review of our approach to learning in 2017-18, and is implementing a number of strategic improvements to the model for learning in the Civil Service.  Details of our approach are set out under question three.  As well as focusing on delivering current priorities, we work to develop and maintain an understanding of potential changes in the future and how these could affect the Civil Service and its operating environment.  We use this understanding to inform our priorities and to identify opportunities to improve our capacity and capabilities.

3.  What has been the effect of changes to the provision of learning and development in the Civil Service?

The provision of learning and development within the Civil Service has continued to evolve since 2012.  Our approach is to continuously improve, iterating the model of provision in line with best practice, and in response to user feedback from across the Civil Service on the design of our services.  Previous PACAC inquiries have explored the relative merits of the model adopted in 2012 compared to its predecessor. Whilst measuring the effect of the changes is challenging, evidence from the annual Civil Service People Survey is positive, and 63 per cent of civil servants reported they were ‘able to access the right learning and development opportunities’ in 2017, compared with 54 per cent in 2011, and 52 per cent reported in 2017 that ‘learning and development activities I have completed in the past 12 months have helped to improve my performance’, compared with 45 per cent in 2011. We will keep our learning and development provision under review, and expect further iterations over the next spending review period.

Most recently, in 2017-18 the Civil Service carried out a comprehensive cross-government review of our approach to learning, with recommendations shaped by stakeholders from across the system.  We are currently implementing these improvements to the model of provision.  Tenets of the new approach are outlined below and in the following questions. 

●       We have adopted the 70:20:10 approach to learning: 10% learning in the classroom; 20% learning from others; 70% learning on the job.  This enables Civil Servants to learn, practice and embed the unique skills needed in government, flexibly developing their capability, and learning from their peers.  The 10% of formal learning includes that provided within professions, functions, and departments, as well as centrally via CSL.

●       Formal learning is provided within professions and departments, including via a system of dedicated professional Academies.  In this model, the question of what learning should be provided is determined by the Heads of Profession, who are accountable for raising capability within their profession across departments, alongside departmental agendas and priorities, and aligned with clear career frameworks within each profession.

●       CS Learning is an expert service provider.  Within this model, the role of professions and functions is to provide quality assurance of learning and development provision, determined within the Civil Service.  This is informed with appropriate external input where required, for example for technical disciplines.  CSL provides expert partnering and shared infrastructure to identify and deliver the most effective ways of building capability to meet and maintain those standards, which may be externally or internally provided.  CSL provides access to externally contracted learning suppliers (currently through Korn Ferry Hay Group, KPMG and Knowledgepool), which delivered 182,000 bookings over the last twelve months.  CSL also provides the Civil Service with a centre of expertise for learning and leadership that shares effective practice; signposts exemplars; and supports others to raise capability across departments and within their profession. 

●       We have oversight of learning across the organisation.  The Leadership and Learning Board provides strategic direction and oversight of all learning activity and leadership development in the Civil Service, including governance of CSL and the CSLA.  A formal sub-board of the Civil Service Board, the Leadership and Learning Board comprises Permanent Secretaries and Directors General who are able to assure and inform the implementation of this new learning model.  Governance is also provided through the Civil Service Board, Civil Service HR Executive, Heads of Function, and the Talent Board. 

●       Cross-government, we are expanding internal learning via an approach of ‘leaders teaching leaders’, and the creation of cohort-based learning.  We recognise that the Civil Service is a unique environment in which to work, lead, and learn.  We recognise the importance of sharing tacit knowledge gained via experience, and the need to do so beyond individual departments, so we enable leaders at all levels to share their stories through a range of CSLA and Policy Profession products.  We also recognise that having networks of peers across the organisation is an important source of socialisation into the values and organisational processes that underpin the Civil Service (particularly for external hires, following Baxendale 2015).  At all face-to-face learning events we create time for attendees to meet one another and forge connections.  The CSLA has also created a cohort-based induction event for each of the SCS grades, accompanied by ongoing learning opportunities for alumni.  These, along with the Accelerated Development schemes and Fast Stream offer, create opportunities to forge long-lasting connections with peers, often including residential provision. 

●       We have made learning easier and quicker to access.  Digital learning continues to be a central component of formal learning across the Civil Service.  We are creating a new Learning Platform for Government that provides improved functionality for accessing and recording individuals’ learning.  Digital and remote learning allows users to engage in and access learning anywhere, any time, any place, maximising take-up and facilitating ‘just in time’ learning.

●       Learning is integrated with professional standards and career pathways.  Heads of Profession have responsibility for setting clear standards for people operating within their profession, supported by a professional career framework that articulates the depth and breadth of capability needed now and in the future.  This ensures a coherent and visible development path, alongside the new Success Profiles (introduced in June 2018).

●       We target learning and capability building as new needs arise.  The requirements of the EU Exit programmes illustrate how professional academies and professions can work together to deliver high quality, timely learning at scale.  The Diplomatic Academy and the Policy Profession have been running targeted training programmes on a range of specific areas where skills need to be provided to existing civil servants.

Sir Gerry Grimstone is chairing the Public Services Leadership Taskforce, which will advise government on the role of leadership development in improving productivity and outcomes across public services. The Taskforce is on course to submit a final report to Treasury and Cabinet Office Ministers in time for a response in the Budget. We look forward to writing to the committee to keep them updated as Sir Gerry’s work progresses.

4.  How are Civil Service values understood and sustained?

The Civil Service is united by a strong sense of public service, and its enduring values – integrity, honesty, impartiality and objectivity – run through all that we do.  These core values support good government and ensure the achievement of the highest possible standards in all that the Civil Service does.  The values are clearly set out and explained in both the Civil Service Code and in legislation, through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.  The principles and standards of the Code are integrated into departmental management codes and guidance, and the requirements are made clear to every new civil servant.

The Propriety and Ethics team in the Cabinet Office maintains oversight of the Code and provides advice to ministers, government departments and individual civil servants on how its key principles and the Civil Service values apply in particular situations.  Not only does this promote understanding of the values, but also helps to ensure that as civil servants we are adhering to the standards of behaviour expected of us.  Each year we gauge levels of awareness of the Code through the annual People Survey, which covers every government department.  In 2017, 92% of respondents were aware of the Civil Service Code, of 294 905 respondents from 98 organisations overall (People Survey response rate of 67%).

The Civil Service Commission helps to safeguard an impartial Civil Service by regulating recruitment into the Civil Service, providing assurance that appointments are based on merit following fair and open competition.  It also works with government departments to help promote the Civil Service values.  In recent years the Civil Service Commissioners have sponsored the Cabinet Secretary’s Award at the Civil Service Awards.  The award goes to a team or individual that has communicated or displayed the values in their work.  The Commissioners have also run Question Time style sessions on the values at previous Civil Service Live events in London, Gateshead and Manchester.

Following the success of the Ministry of Defence’s operational policy handbook, The Good Operation, published in January 2018, a cross-Whitehall working group is exploring whether there might be a follow-up of relevance to the wider Civil Service, with the Civil Service Code at its heart.

For individuals, the new Success Profiles outline the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job. These are specific to the grade level of the job role.
 

For leaders, the Civil Service Leadership Statement sets out what is required of our leaders at every level: inspiring about our work and its future; confident in our engagement; empowering our teams to deliver.  The Leadership Statement underpins the 360 performance management mechanism for all SCS. 

To embed these values, the Cabinet Office Civil Service Group are the guardians of the vision for A Brilliant Civil Service, reporting directly to the Cabinet Secretary and Chief Executive of the Civil Service.  Every year the Civil Service Live programme brings this vision to life via an events programme across the country.  Civil Service Live is the government’s annual, cross-department learning event, attracting thousands of civil servants to regional events to learn, network and share best practice – with the goal of providing better public service.  In 2018 events were held in Birmingham, Blackpool, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and London, and were attended by over 18,000 civil servants. 

The CSLA, as the Academy that builds cross-government leadership and management capability, also plays a central role in embedding the values throughout the Civil Service, through its Corporate Induction programme for senior leaders externally recruited, and the cohort-based induction event for each of the SCS grades, accompanied by ongoing learning opportunities for alumni.  The CSLA has also developed a learning module for each aspect of the Leadership Statement.  These modules are embedded within programmes that reach a multitude of audiences, including at Civil Service Live and SCS inductions.  CSLA learning products reinforce these values via modelling from senior leaders as part of the ‘leaders teaching leaders’ approach, including from the Cabinet Secretary and Chief Executive of the Civil Service, the latter of whom leads the induction for external hires.

5.  What learning and development provision in the Civil Service is required? How much does Civil Service Learning provide a coherent professional development for civil servants at all levels?

The 2017 People Survey shows that, overall, 88% of all civil servants feel they have the necessary skills to undertake their work. 

Across the Civil Service, we believe that learning and development provision should achieve a balance between central and decentralised provision, in accordance with the new model for learning provision outlined above.  In this model, the question of what learning should be provided is determined by the Heads of Profession, who are accountable for raising capability within their profession across departments, alongside departmental agendas and priorities.  Learning is then provided by the relevant profession or department. This includes our Academies structure, which comprises the Civil Service Leadership Academy, Defence Academy, Government Finance Academy, Commercial College, Major Projects Leadership Academy, Government Digital Academy, the Diplomatic Academy and HMRC Tax Academy.

Civil Service HR provides oversight and coordination of this system through its role as expert service provider, via a team of Learning Expert Partners.  Civil Service Learning

continue to provide the core learning and skills development identified as relevant for the 400,000+ civil servants working across government, delivered via digital products. 

In terms of providing coherent professional development, individual learners are responsible for taking up the offer provided by the professional Academies and CSL.  Individuals will diagnose their development needs with line managers via ongoing performance and development management processes, and in line with their own aspirations.  Development needs can be identified using two cross-government development frameworks coordinated from Civil Service HR: Career Frameworks for each profession (in development) make visible career progression and associated development needs within professions, as outlined in the Workforce Plan; an aligned Success Profiles framework for recruitment across the Civil Service (launched June 2018) sets out our expectations at every grade (replacing the previous competency framework). 

Senior Civil Servants (SCS) will have access to supplementary information on development needs provided by results from the annual 360 performance management tool, and Success Profiles can be supplemented with relevant talent management guidance, such as Indicators of Potential for SCS grades (in development).

We continue to seek greater integration and alignment between these initiatives.  During 2018-19, Civil Service HR will carry out a project on behalf of the Leadership and Learning Board to explore the development of a stronger learning culture across the Civil Service. 

6.  What do civil servants need to know and what is the appropriate balance between specialist and generalist skills?

The capability required in the Civil Service (i.e. what civil servants need to know) is dependent on the priorities of the government, and changes to the wider environment in which we operate.  In line with the Workforce Plan, our approach to learning and development (as above) enables the professionalisation of the Civil Service and the functional model of government.  We need civil servants to build breadth of experience and depth of expertise.  To do this we have to build career paths for our core professions that create a common understanding of the skills and experience needed at each level and the opportunity to gain these in a structured way.  Career pathways open up opportunities to diverse pools of skilled people, facilitating movement in and between professions and departments, according to both personal aspiration and organisational need. 

For all civil servants, learning and development - across professions and centralised provision - continues to support the development of core skills.  For example, the Policy Profession hosts a free parliamentary learning programme which provides an introduction to Parliament and the legislative process.  Career Frameworks in each profession continue to recognise the core skills of the Civil Service.  These include ‘traditional’ skills, such as the ability to analyse complex problems, identify solutions and communicating effectively. It also includes recognising new skills which need to exist across the civil service. Recently our focus has been on commercial and digital skills at different levels and increasingly on leadership.

At the most senior levels of the Civil Service, talent management processes, and frameworks such as the Indicators of Potential, ensure that alongside specialist expertise, senior leaders have developed a breadth of experience across the organisation which enables them to lead within multidisciplinary departments.  The CSLA supports any emerging development needs at this level by providing bespoke training in partnership with functions and professions.

These developments suggest that, as departments, functions and the Civil Service as a whole seek to identify more precisely the skills government requires, we are evolving beyond the concept of ‘generalists’. In the longer term, as career frameworks become more defined, we will see ‘generalists’ as individuals who have acquired a broad set of specialist skills which they can apply in a wide range of contexts.

7.  What is the appropriate model of provision of learning and development? What should be the balance between in-house and outsourced provision?

As addressed within question 3, the model of provision for learning and development within the Civil Service has continued to evolve since 2012.  In 2018 we are implementing a number of improvements to the current model, with a focus on individual learners (70:20:10 model); an enhanced role for Heads of Profession in raising capability across departments and within professions; an advisory role for Civil Service HR as an expert service provider; an enhanced digital platform for accessing core cross-government learning; and expansion in the provision of internal learning and cohort-based approaches.  In line with the 70:20:10 model, learning provision is decentralised, creating an ecosystem across the Civil Service, with local provision of formal learning supplementing learning through peers and in-role.

In our continuous review and improvement approach, we will keep our learning and development provision under review and expect further iterations over the next spending review period.  Within the design of centrally-provided services, the correct balance between in-house and outsourced provision is determined by cost-effectiveness.  Quality of provision is the primary concern alongside cost.  We recognise that in iterations of provision since 2012, the balance has at times favoured outsourcing, and we have attended to feedback from users across the Civil Service on implications of this for the quality of delivery and content. 

Following the recent review of learning and its implementation during 2018, the balance has been reset between in-house and outsourced provision, with a ‘leaders teaching leaders’ approach underpinning the offer from the Policy Profession and the CSLA.  This has a significant impact as the former provides a wide range of learning, the majority of which is accessible beyond policy professionals, and the latter is the provider of Leadership and Management learning for all grades across the Civil Service.  Within professional academies and departments, there is likely to continue to be a mix of in-house and outsourced provision.  The Civil Service HR Learning Expert Partner service will advise academies and professions on suitable models of provision depending on capability gaps being addressed and evidence regarding the most cost-effective design.  Within the Talent management process, our Accelerated Development programmes blend leadership education from external providers with support in the workplace, including advertising stretching workplace assignments, group action learning sets and mentoring.

The ‘leaders teaching leaders’ approach has been gaining momentum since its introduction by the Policy Profession in 2009, in response to gaps in the outsourced provision of learning.  In this model, in-house expertise is shared more widely across the organisation to develop the skills and capabilities - both tacit and explicit - of others.  For example, parliamentary learning is designed and delivered by secondees from Parliament; Accounting Officer training is designed and delivered by HMT.  The CSLA has adopted this model in recognition of its effectiveness and is developing a Faculty of leaders from across the Civil Service who are volunteering to share their skills and experiences with others via high-quality, bespoke, face-to-face learning interventions that are - like the Policy Profession - designed in-house by our expert teams of learning designers.  Both utilise an internal delivery team for the administration of these events, with evidence since 2013 indicating this is more cost-effective for internal learning events, and maximising opportunities to cumulatively build networks for knowledge sharing across the organisation.

Line managers are at the heart of our shift, as we mature as a learning organisation.  All managers will take greater responsibility for guiding and coaching their people, and are key to ensuring all civil servants learn from their experiences and embrace the 70/20/10 model. 

Professions and their leaders ensure the quality of the learning interventions in their relevant domain, and in our decentralised model, specialist and professional learning is provided within professions, functions and departments, including via our system of dedicated professional Academies.  For example, the Government Digital Service Academy support the development of digital skills across the Civil Service, providing a catalogue of courses to help civil servants develop the skills they need to take on and progress in digital, data and technology roles. Similarly, the Government Finance Academy brings together a comprehensive and consistent offer for all government finance professionals, and provides opportunities for civil servants to acquire professional finance qualifications.

8.  What lessons can be learnt from other jurisdictions?

The Civil Service has engaged intensively with international jurisdictions in the organisational design of its professional academies, notably in the design of the learning offer from the Policy Profession and CSLA.  We recognise that whilst there are comparative differences, for example in the relative professionalisation and specialisation of civil servants, there are also shared contexts and outcomes (see forthcoming OECD recommendations from the Council on Public Service Leadership and Capability), along with shared institutional characteristics in Westminster Model Governments.  The OECD Assessment of Skills for a high performing Civil Service stresses that today’s civil servants are addressing problems of unprecedented complexity in societies that are more pluralistic and demanding than ever.  At the same time, the systems and tools of governance are increasingly digital, open and networked.  It concludes that skillsets of civil servants now need to include a clear focus and ability to work collectively across organisational boundaries.

Recognising these shared challenges, the design of training initiatives has been informed by what has been effective in other jurisdictions.  For example, in developing the Policy Profession learning and development offer, the Head of Policy Profession has regularly engaged with parallel international initiatives since 2013.  These jurisdictions, including Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, have provided critical input into the development of policy professional standards and associated qualifications; with reciprocal UK input into domestic offers under development. 

For CSLA, and the developing initiative on public service leadership announced in the Autumn 2017 Budget, the evidence base underpinning organisation design and curriculum design has been informed by international comparators, alongside learning from the institutional development of parallel initiatives within the devolved administrations.  Both Wales and Scotland have mature offers for their public service leaders, and have developed leading-edge innovative approaches that have engaged international experts (e.g. Massachusetts Institute of Technology), alongside academic expertise within UK universities.

9.  To what extent do these issues also apply to the diplomatic service?

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) established the Diplomatic Academy to meet the specific needs of staff working on, or supporting the delivery of, foreign policy priorities.  The Academy’s offer also extends to all staff working for other government departments, in the UK or overseas, with an international remit. They do not charge other departments to access the curriculum or to participate in Academy masterclasses and events.   

Learning and development in generic skills, such as leadership and management development or personal impact, is partly sourced from Civil Service Learning and the Civil Service Leadership Academy. They have also had to develop a range of in-house leadership and management programmes and media and presentation skills training to meet the specific needs of FCO staff working in an international context. For example, the Overseas Leadership Programme, for new Heads and Deputy Heads of Mission includes briefing, presentations and exercises covering core skills and knowledge, leadership, media training and a visit to the Devolved Administrations.

Leadership is included in the FCO’s Skills Statement, as a development priority, to instil the values in the Civil Service Leadership Statement.

The Diplomatic Academy Regional Teams (DARTs) are a network of Learning and Development (L&D) specialists, who provide a range of programmes, workshops and services for all staff overseas, including staff employed locally and staff from other government departments who share the FCO platform (ie are co-located in FCO Posts). The Diplomatic Academy’s learning App (GLO - Global Learning Opportunities) is accessible to staff working internationally at home and overseas. Over a third of the more than 20,000 GLO users are civil servants or Local Staff employed by other government departments.

The FCO welcomes the provision of more online learning products from CSL, which can be accessed globally. We also understand that some CSL consortium partners plan to introduce more virtual classroom events. With modern learning techniques and IT we believe this is an area that should be explored further.

Face to face events in the UK, particularly those facilitated by the Leadership Academy, remain largely out of bounds for most civil servants and local staff based overseas. FCO staff going overseas aim to complete any required L&D before they leave or during visits to the UK. While we can schedule in-house events to meet their needs, they cannot always make the timing of fixed CSLA events. The current cost of core curriculum products prevents us from delivering face to face events overseas.

The Foreign Affairs Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry into FCO Skills and further information can be obtained from this. The FCO submitted written evidence on both 2 July 2018 and, in response to a request for additional information, 20 August 2018. An oral hearing took place on 5 September 2018.  

October 2018

Annex: Civil Service Functions, Professions and Academies.

Civil Service Functions

Civil Service Professions

Civil Service Academies

●       Civil Service Leadership Academy

●       Defence Academy

●       Government Finance Academy

●       Commercial College

●       Major Projects Leadership Academy

●       Government Digital Academy

●       Diplomatic Academy

●       HMRC Tax Academy

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