skills strategy 2008 uk government

8/14/2019 Skills Strategy 2008 UK government

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Forewordby the Head of the Home Civil Service

Skills are critical to all employers. The Civil Service is no exception. The public rightlyexpects us to do more with less. To respond, we must use our talents to the full to

deliver ever-improving services to the public.

The global economy is changing rapidly. China and India are growing dramatically. Their

workforce is becoming ever more highly qualified. The UKs ability to keep pace in this

competitive environment will be determined by the skills of its workforce.

This strategy sets out how central government employers, including those in the Armed

Forces and Non Departmental Public Bodies, will step up to meet the skills challenge. Itsets out a coherent programme of work to take forward Professional Skills for

Government, building on the progress we have made over the last couple of years.

Delivering this strategy will not be easy. We will only succeed if we all play our part.

Each of us has to make a commitment to learn to recognise that todays standards

are not good enough for tomorrow. That applies as much to Permanent Secretaries as it

does to our most junior colleagues. We face no bigger challenge. And I am determined

we must meet it.

Sir Gus O Donnell

Head of the Home Civil Service

by the Chief of the Defence Staff

Skills are the bedrock of our capability and affect every facet of what we do. As the

defence environment becomes ever more sophisticated, so the demand for higher skills

in the Armed Forces becomes ever more acute. And our agility depends on equipping

our people with the right spread of competencies. To be fit for the tasks of tomorrow we

must embrace the challenge to develop our professional skills today.

The Skills Strategy for Government is the right vehicle to help us meet that challenge. It

provides a framework for the Armed Forces and our civilian colleagues to share what

works well to the benefit of all. Defence has a tradition of excellence in training and


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education - for example around apprenticeships - which we are delighted to help apply in

other parts of the Sector. We are equally keen to take advantage of the work to build

professional skills which our civilian colleagues are leading to support the skills

development of our people.

I am committed to delivering this strategy within the Defence community, which makes

up almost a quarter of central government. Real progress on skills, however, will require

collective effort across government. Where we can work better together, we must.

Along with the Cabinet Secretary, I commend this strategy to you.

Sir Jock Stirrup

Head of the Armed Forces

Contents

1 Executive summary 4

2 Introduction 7

3 Case for change 13

4 Strategy 18

Driving up professional skills standards 19

A new role for Heads of Professions 21

Common action on common skills needs 26

Developing the future workforce through HE and FE 30

Sector-wide application of the strategy 35

5 Summary of recommendations 38

Appendix 1: Implementation plan 41


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Appendix 2: Implementation costs 45

Appendix 3: Implications for Government Skills 47

Appendix 4: Glossary of terms 50

1Executive summary

Britain needs a skilled workforce at every level if it isto compete and succeed in a dynamic world economy. In the raceto be competitive, skills will play a vital role in enabling the UKeconomy to meet the demands of the global marketplace.

The UK workforce is changing with fewer young people entering the job market and

the growing demand for higher skilled workers, employers are already facing a war fortalent. The winners will be those who can develop strategies to deliver a flexible and

mobile workforce, able to respond rapidly to environmental shifts and meet employees

increasing expectations of job satisfaction.

The Civil Service response

The pace which Government has injected into the skills agenda for the economy as a

whole must be mirrored by action to develop its own workforce. Strategies on HR,

workforce planning, reward and retention and recruitment and deployment are now

beginning to address many of the people issues identified in the Capability Reviews.

On skills, a co-ordinated programme has been initiated to implement a more structured

approach to skills acquisition and development. This began in 2005 with the

introduction of the Professional Skills for Government programme, including the PSG

competency framework. This framework identified for the first time the set of core and

leadership skills which civil servants need to develop to be effective in any role a

common language on skills which is now used across departments and nations.

This strategy, with the PSG competency framework at its core, identifies the collective

action which is needed to equip governments present and future workforce with the

PSG skills. The objective is to raise standards and enhance individual performance,

improve organisational capability and ultimately the quality of public services.


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The strategy will deliver, over a three year period, a new environment, in which:

increasingly, employees at all levels will understand the professional skills standards they need to

attain, and see the career benefits of attaining them

employers will work together across government to target investment on current and future common

skills priorities

providers will deliver higher quality, better value skills development interventions, responsive to the

needs of the sector, and

educational institutions will engage in practical dialogue with government employers to devise fresh

approaches to strengthening the skills within the talent pool from which we recruit our future

workforce.

This is a strategy for all staff across the sector, not just for those at the top of the Civil

Service. It addresses the deep-seated skills needs of staff in front-line posts and those

managing the delivery of public services across the UK. It seeks to give them better

access to learning opportunities where there is a real benefit for them and for our

businesses. And to improve mobility for staff within this sector and beyond. Thestrategy will assist all employers in the sector to meet Leitch Skills Pledge1

commitments by improving access to accredited learning, in part through

apprenticeships.

To make this happen, the strategy outlines a number of specific recommendations for

action, which build and develop the work of the Professional Skills for Government

programme. They assume the extension of the PSG competency framework below

middle management, which will begin to be implemented from April 2008. In summary,

the strategy proposes:

setting professional skills standards for all and linking them to careers

strengthening professions to drive the skills standards agenda

joint commissioning to meet common

skills needs

investing in a major expansion of apprenticeships, and

starting an ambitious programme of engagement with the HE/FE sector

To bring about change on this scale, affecting up to 800,000 staff, many people will

have to put their shoulder to the wheel.

Permanent Secretaries will need to provide leadership that stands behind the case for

collective action, to agree funding for the change, particularly for the necessary

investment in the development of the infrastructure of professions, and to hold Heads

of Professions, HR Leaders and Government Skills to account for realising the benefits

of the strategy.

HR Leaders will need to act to embed professional skills standards over time into the HR

processes and decisions of the business, to seize opportunities to direct L&D spending

into jointly commissioned, professionally endorsed programmes to address common

priority skills gaps, to open up their own models of good practice to other sector

employers, and to make sure their own departmental skills strategies are focused on


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taking forward the cross-government skills strategy.

Heads of Professions will need to accept and deliver on a substantial new set of accountabilities,

segmenting their workforce and setting professional skills standards for their members.

Working with employers to understand supply and demand, they will need to influence

professional career progression, supporting their members in professional development,

and linking attainment of standards in the government sector to standards and qualifications

recognised in the wider labour market.

Government Skills will lead the effort to develop and maintain an evidence-based,

forward-looking analysis of common skills needs and work through a new OGC

framework contract to build delivery partnerships around those common needs. They

will create a new interface between government employers and the tertiary education

sector to shape the skills of the talent pool from which the future workforce comes, and,

working with Civil Service Capabilities Group in the Cabinet Office, they will support

Heads of Professions and HR Leaders in delivering strategic change. The Government

Skills Strategy Board will also assume overall responsibility for overseeing the

implementation of the Skills Strategy and the realisation of benefits. The Board will give

six monthly progress reports to PSMG, flagging more urgent issues for the attention of

CSSB.

The Skills Strategy will benefit the whole sector Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

as well as England, NDPBs and Armed Services as well as the Civil Service.

1 For more than 90% of the workforce to be qualified to Level 2 (five good GCSEs or equivalent) by 2020

2Introduction

Now is the right time to initiate long term changes in the government sectors approach to the skills of its

own people. The Governments strong commitment to skills reform, and its investment in this area,

matches the powerful case for improving the UKs skills base, made by Lord Leitch in 2006s Leitch

Review of Skills2. The pressures within government to improve organisational capability, and to reduce

dependency on the skills of consultants, make it an urgent necessity to focus on raising the skill levelswithin our own workforce.

Extensive and detailed research fully supports the case for a cross-government skills strategy. In

particular, a 2007 analysis of the available evidence found that:


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demand for higher skills is growing, while less skilled jobs are disappearing

persistent and common skills gaps are harming capability and productivity

our learning and development programme falls short of giving our staff the skills the business needs,

and

we are not a sufficiently intelligent customer of the supply side

The issues are the same right across the sector. The scope of the skills strategy embraces half a million

people in the Home Civil Service and the Northern Ireland Civil Service, and also:

over 65,000 people in non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), where professional skills are often of

paramount importance and engagement with the wider sector offers many benefits, and

some 200,000 people in the Armed Services, where the structure, culture and requirements are distinct, but

there are important issues for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in managing the skills interface with the

civilian workforce, both for serving and for retiring personnel.

A consultation on the strategy with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

suggests that it resonates strongly with their local priorities. There is an appetite to implement the

strategy in a way that fits with their distinctive needs and brings real mutual benefit.

This skills strategy responds to a compelling case for change by spelling out concrete recommendations

that will lead us towards a much stronger future position. Individual skills, organisational capability, and

the quality of public service delivery will all improve because we will have:

a workforce with more of the skills our business needs

people eager to learn those skills and be recognised for their achievements

suppliers delivering high standards and best value in meeting those needs, and

education partners preparing our future workforce with the skills our business needs.

To achieve this position will require leaders within the sector to recognise the cross-cutting nature of theissues. They should be prepared to initiate and persist with actions that emphasise a common approach

and focus on common standards.

Rapid action is needed. Skills gaps are affecting government capability and performance right now, and

the tight constraints of the current Spending Review mean that departments must get more from their

existing investment in skills. Action on skills will be a vital element in the implementation of a wider

People framework across government.

Moreover, the Leitch Review and the strategies for the wider economy recently or soon to be published in

each part of the UK, have rightly injected urgency into the skills agenda, and government must act on its

own prescription. Indeed this skills strategy fulfils the role of a Sector Skills Agreement for the

government sector. Accordingly the skills strategy aims to deliver significant changes within the next two

to three years, as well as laying firmer foundations for the long term.

The skills strategy has three main components:

developing and driving up professional standards and using them to manage careers

taking common action to address common skills needs, and

strengthening the skills in the talent pool used for recruitment, by working closely with the higher and

further education sectors.

Developing and driving up professional standards and using them to manage careers

The drive to improve professional standards underpins the skills strategy. The following steps should be

taken to bring us closer to achieving a higher skilled workforce providing benefits for individuals and the


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wider business:

the PSG competency framework should continue to expand, incorporating employees at every level.

The framework, managed and developed by Government Skills, aims to provide a transparent structure

for career development. Government Skills has worked with departments and professions to articulate

the core skills below middle management required across the Civil Service. These core skills will begin

to be integrated within departmental HR frameworks and processes from April 2008

links should be made from the PSG competency framework to National Occupational Standards (NOS),

to set the benchmarks for the skills and knowledge required in the Civil Service today

where appropriate, qualifications will be developed which should be transferable, so that the skills of

government employees are portable to the wider labour market

the professions in particular policy and operational delivery will play a much stronger role in

identifying skills needs. Most of our staff work in operational delivery and public service delivery, and

there are no comparable roles in the wider labour market to which they directly relate and whose

standards they may readily use. It will be necessary for all professions to:

segment their workforce and provide occupational profiles for each of their distinct functions

identify standards for attainment at all grades, drawing on NOS and developing new standards where

necessary

articulate the professional expectations for individuals (within their profession) and promote the links

between career progression and professional skills, so that employees have an incentive to learn the

skills that the business requires

maintain labour market information on the profession, including trends in supply and demand within

government and the wider market, to help improve workforce planning, and

invest in their infrastructure and set out to improve standards within a realistic timetable.

Common action on common

skills needs

To meet the targets set out in the skills strategy, leaders must recognise the cross-cutting nature ofissues, and collaborate with others to reach shared goals (ie, take common action on common skills

needs). In particular, it is important to:

increase significantly the number of apprenticeships in government, with a particular focus on adult

apprenticeships

identify common skills needs across the sector that are linked to the PSG competency framework, and

focus our efforts on a short list of priorities

initiate a continuing programme of research and consultation to assess future trends in skills

requirements and skills gaps, and keep the list of common skills under review

explore options that could prove beneficial across the government, such as opening up a DefenceAcademy e-learning offer or broadening the availability of National Vocational Qualifications

accreditation (making use of in-house expertise at the Department for Work and Pensions)

carry out a training needs analysis across the sector, when a common skills need has been identified,

but the demand is uncertain

recognise areas of common demand and introduce a commissioning framework so that cost-effective

solutions can be readily sourced. This should be modelled on the Office of Government Commerces

Buying Solutions framework contract (OGCbs), and tested with an early pilot involving joint

commissioning, and

stimulate best practice among internal training providers by introducing Civil Service Awards for high-

quality skills development programmes and for services shared across the sector.

Strengthening the skills of the talent pool used for recruitment, through working closely with the higher

and further education sectors

We should look to the future and identify skills that we would like tomorrows employees to possess; and


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then work with the higher and further education sectors to make this a reality. Specifically, we should:

develop new ways of engaging with the education sector drawing upon best practice in other Sector

Skills Councils

respond to Lord Leitchs recommendations for employer engagement with Higher Education (HE)/Further

Education (FE). Employers within government shouldliaise more closely with co-ordinating bodies and

individual institutions in the HE and FE sectors

continue developing our sector-tailored qualifications, such as foundation degrees, the public sector

diploma, and higher-level apprenticeships, and

explore new opportunities for attracting potential employees such as sandwich programmes, short

programmes, vocational courses or other forms of employer-student engagement.

The skills strategy will benefit the whole workforce it has purposely been developed to address the

needs of the great majority of our staff, rather than focusing on the particular needs of the Senior Civil

Service (see Benefits Summary box on page 12). The initiatives introduced above, and described in more

detail in section 4, are inclusive in nature and will contribute to developing the skills of all employees.

This includes the vast majority (95 per cent of civil servants) who are not part of senior management or

the feeder grades for senior management. The drive to improve standards is relevant for the entire

sector, and the emphasis on extending the reach of the professions and of the Professional Skills forGovernment programme opens up opportunities across the workforce. When common action is taken to

address common skills deficiencies, all employees will benefit. Areas will be targeted that junior staff

have already identified, in surveys, as giving cause for concern, notably information technology, customer

service and communication skills. Working more closely with HE and FE will strengthen the talent pool

and help develop governments relationship with these institutions. The skills of the future workforce at

all levels will be considered, moving away from the current primary focus on the Fast Stream.

The focus on the whole workforce will help ensure that the skills strategy is a positive force for diversity.

Its focus on identifying the professional standards required for all roles not just those at the top of the

business will ensure that all staff have the opportunity to develop to their full potential, encouraged by

clearer career pathways.

The implementation of the skills strategy will have modest costs (4-5m over the SR07 period, mainly for

investment in the infrastructure of the two largest professional groupings). Our investment in skills

development will come primarily from the substantial budgets already allocated within departments,

supplemented by an investment in sector apprenticeships from the Learning and Skills Council. It will also

require real commitment from business, human resources, and professional leaders across the sector.

Crucially, we will need to embrace common standards and common investment and address the skills

issues that we all share.

Skills Strategy benefits summary

Benefits for employers:

higher professional skills standards across the workforce

information and tools to enable better workforce planning

progress in closing common skills gaps current and future

better value for money from investment in skills development

easier access to best practice, quality assured training incommon skills, and

candidates for the future workforce better prepared in

relevant skills.


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Benefits for employees:

clearer professional career paths

readier access to transferable skills and qualifications

support for skills and career development from a professional

cross-sector grouping

more scope for mobility within and beyond the sector, and

improved specific skills development opportunities, including

many more apprenticeships.

3Case for change

The case for moving towards a more strategic approach to skills in government is compelling andevidence-based. Now is the time to act, because:

there is strong ministerial commitment to skills as an economic policy priority, backed by a broad

political consensus

the Leitch Report has highlighted the critical importance of the skills agenda and galvanised action3,

not least within the Civil Service (Permanent Secretaries were amongst the first national employers to

sign the Skills Pledge4)

each of the devolved administrations treats skills as a top strategic priority5

the Civil Service Capability Reviews have stimulated renewed focus on employee skills issues within

government, including the skills required for the challenges of the future, and

skills development is a critical component of the emerging Civil Service People Framework

It is clear that the Government, as an employer, should follow its own economic policies regarding the


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development of human capital. Government has shown leadership in its response to Leitch by committing

to the Skills Pledge, and is moving away from the dated notion that the public sector workforce is an

entity quite discrete from the wider labour market. The same labour market pressures apply, and the

requirement is for a strategy that offers our businesses and our people the benefits of relevant,

transferable

skills that are aligned to professional standards and are recognised in the economy as a whole.

The case for change is firmly based in evidence. Some of the key points are set out in the remainder of

this section. The evidence base gathered and analysed by Government Skills, with the support of theSector Skills Development Agency, is available on the Government Skills website at

www.government-skills.gov.uk.

There is a growing need for skills at high and intermediate levels throughout the economy. The demand

for professional skills is forecast to grow by 57 per cent across all sectors by 2014, including in better

remunerated sectors such as financial services. At the same time, the number of lower-skilled positions

within the government sector will continue to shrink, by an estimated 25-50,000 posts in the decade

leading up to 2014.6 Improvements in earning power for individual employees in the sector rise from 10

per cent for a Level 2 qualification (equivalent to five GCSEs at Grades A*-C), to over 60 per cent for a

Level 5 qualification (equivalent to an Honours degree) and are negative at Level 1. Unless government

employers make a long term commitment to upskilling, they risk being unable to buy in the higher skilled

people required. They will also not be ready to offer the lower skilled the training and development they

will need to do their changing jobs. Raising skill levels in the workforce makes good business sense, and

failing to do so would be at odds both with the Governments wider agenda and its responsibilities as an

employer.

The commitment to upskilling needs to be made for the long term, but the problem of skills gaps is not

part of some hypothetical future. There are real, current skills gaps in the sector workforce, and they are

impacting and will continue to impact on capability and productivity. The Civil Service Capability Reviews

have highlighted serious corporate weaknesses, directly linked to weaknesses in individual skills, many of

them in familiar areas such as leadership, people management and programme and project

management, where skills gaps have persisted over a period of years. The Capability Reviews identified

74 areas for action for departments, and half are directly related to shortfalls in individual skills,particularly leadership, while many others depend indirectly on improvements in people management

and other skills. According to the third tranche report, departments do not consistently take a strategic

approach to developing, managing and deploying their people to meet business needs. This can lead to

frustration and unfulfilled potential at an individual level, and worrying skills and talent gaps at

departmental level.7

3

Prosperity for all in the global economy world class skills, Final Report of the Leitch Review, December 20064

The Pledge confirmed the commitment of employers to offer support to staff to gain their first Level 2 qualification (five good GCSEsor equivalent)5

Success through Skills: the Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland, February 2006; Skills for Scotland: a Lifelong Skills Strategy,

September 2007; a skills strategy for Wales is expected to be published early in 20086

Working Futures 2004-2014 Sectoral Report, Institute for Employment Research, January 2006

The evidence also shows that the current mechanisms for addressing skills gaps, through learning and

development in the sector, are ineffective. 25 per cent of employers surveyed in 2007 identified failure

to train and develop staff as the main cause of skills gaps within their organisation the single most

commonly selected factor. And while 42 per cent

of employees surveyed felt they needed more training to do their current job, no less than 23 per cent of

staff reported receiving no training whatsoever in the previous year.8

Commissioning of courses, and the allocation of learning opportunities, are highly devolved at present.

This is despite the shared needs of employers across the sector. Decisions are generally taken at a

business unit level or below, and are often driven more by performance reviews and individual employee


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preferences than by the workforce plan. This disconnect is compounded by the fact that the weak links

between career progression and skills development do little to bring individual choice and business needs

into alignment. While the PSG competency framework is widely used by employers across government as

the core skills framework, it has not yet fully engaged staff in learning the skills that employers want.

Developing skills is a large scale and business-critical investment cost for employers, but at present the

government sector is not getting best value for money. The sector (excluding Armed Forces) probably

spends between 500m and 1bn per annum on learning and development, although the collection and

analysis of data is inconsistent across the sector and so reliable quantification and evaluation is notpossible at present. What is more certain is that at the same time, the sector spends 2bn each year on

consultants, much of it to plug gaps in skilled resource.

In surveys, some 70 per cent of organisations cite the existence of a skills gap as a reason for engaging

consultants. There will be cases, within government, when the skills gaps cannot be plugged internally,

eg, if the skills required are highly specialist or the need is short term and it would not be rational to try

and maintain them in-house. It would then be appropriate to engage consultants. However, consultants

are most often used for information technology (IT), change management, and project management.9

Right across the sector, these correlate with the skills areas identified by both employers and employees

as being most in need of development. For senior staff, the most pressing areas for development are

people management skills (circa 70 per cent agreement), leadership skills (circa 70 per cent agreement)

and project management skills (50-60 per cent agreement). For more junior staff the common skills gaps

identified are in customer service (47 per cent agreement), communication (43 per cent agreement) and

IT skills (43 per cent agreement). Yet despite this strong commonality of need, there is little effort to

secure economies of scale or scope from the supply side, which currently consists of a plethora of in-

house training functions and external training providers (15,000 on some estimates 150,000 on

others).10

Turning to the issue of the talent pool used for recruitment, it should be acknowledged that Government

remains fortunate in its ability to recruit highly talented graduate entrants, particularly through the Fast

Stream. This system ensures that graduates consistently rate government one of the top four employers

of choice. We will continue to seek out talented graduates from a variety of disciplines. However within

the HE/FE community, there is no coherent, focused set of educational opportunities specifically geared toreplenishing the pool of skills the sector needs, at graduate level and below.

Demand for vocational qualifications at intermediate and higher levels is growing, as students become

increasingly conscious of the need to earn returns on their qualifications and repay debt. Other Sector

Skills Councils are working with HE/FE to create tailored programmes designed to attract potential

recruits and replenish the talent pool of potential employees. For example, e-skills UK, the highly

regarded IT Sector Skills Council, has worked extensively with universities and employers to create a

number of tailored programmes and approaches, including the IT Management for Business degree. At

the FE level, HM Government recently stated its commitment to a major expansion of apprenticeships 11

and to ensuring that all programmes add economic value through focusing on skills that employers

want. Employers in the government sector must be a part of this movement.

7

Capability Reviews Tranche 3 Findings and Common Themes, Cabinet Office, March 2007, p.48.8

Figures from a survey of government sector employers carried out by Ipsos/Mori, and a survey of government sector employees

carried out by GfK/NOP, both commissioned by Government Skills in 2007

9

Central Governments use of consultants, NAO 200610

Understanding and mapping training provision in the world of Government, COI Interim Update, 200711

Opportunity, Employment and Progression: making skills work, DIUS/DWP November 2007

The skills strategy does not need to start from scratch. A range of initiatives to promote


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skills development is already under way and beginning to have a positive impact in the

workforce. A small number of examples are included in this paper, shown in purple text

boxes.

Case Study: The Skills Pledge

On 18 April 2007, government departments representing around 475,000 employees chose to make

the Skills Pledge at a special event organised by Government Skills. A second pledge signing

ceremony was held on 3 October 2007 for the three new departments in Whitehall created by

Machinery of Government changes. Government employers were the first national employers to make

this important commitment.

Permanent Secretaries from across government are now committed to ensuring that every eligible

employee will be helped to gain basic skills and their first full Level 2 qualification (broadly equivalent to

5 GCSEs at grades A*-C).

The Skills Pledge requires employers to make good progress in upskilling all their staff by 2010.Departments are now developing Pledge Action Plans, detailing how they aim to make progress.

Resources are already being allocated to identify needs within departments and will target

appropriate skills development interventions.

The Skills Pledge sits alongside Governments commitment to Local Employment Partnerships. It

demonstrates the determination of government employers to support staff, at all levels, who want to

boost their prospects and secure their jobs, by learning the skills they need.

4 Strategy

Driving up professional skills standardsThe objective of this strategy is to equip governments present and future workforce with the skills our

business needs, raising standards and enhancing individual performance, organisational capability, and

ultimately the quality of public services.


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To achieve this, our people need to know what skills they should be learning, be eager to learn those

skills, have good opportunities to learn them, and be recognised when they have. The first step is to

devise a framework of skills that we will expect people to develop. We have already laid strong

foundations for this with the establishment of the PSG competency framework. Although the framework

only formally applies within the Civil Service, it is widely used throughout the government sector. The

main limitation at present is its patchy and inconsistent application among the vast majority of staff

below middle management12. To target this area of weakness, a central part of the implementation of this

strategy is the proposed extension of the core skills in the PSG competency framework below middle

management.

We need to go further to take steps to ensure that the PSG competency framework is used to drive up

skills standards throughout our diverse workforce. Building on the work that has already been done, we

will identify professional skills standards covering all roles in the sector workforce. These will be

underpinned by National Occupational Standards and, where appropriate, qualifications, so that they will

be portable to the wider labour market. This approach will enable us to make the PSG competency

framework more meaningful for all staff. It will forge stronger links between career progression and

attainment of professional standards, and align employee and business demand for skills.

Useful definitions

Core skills are the generic, transferable skills required to work effectively in government, such as

leadership, financial management and communications. Core skills are centrally defined by the PSG

competency framework. Departments and agencies will take responsibility to ensure that theiremployees develop these skills.

Professional skills are the skills required for a particular role or group of roles eg, legal skills for

lawyers or customer service and processing skills for contact centre staff. In most cases, the

standards appropriate to these skills will be set by a Head of Profession, with reference to external

frameworks of standards and qualifications, where they exist. Professional skills are distinct from

core skills.

Professional standards are the skills standards appropriate to a particular role or level of

seniority within a professional grouping.


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12 In the Civil Service, below middle management means below Grade 7.

To achieve a robust framework of professional skills standards right across the sector, we need to

segment the workforce to ensure that the standards set are relevant for individual job roles. See box on

page 23, What is workforce segmentation? There are currently 25 recognised professions in the Civil

Service and the vast majority of staff can be considered to belong to one of them. 75 per cent of staff

belong to the operational delivery or policy delivery professions, including over 200,000 staff working in

administrative roles (AA/AO and equivalents). It is in these two professions that the big implementation

challenges are to be found: they are critical to public service delivery and in neither case is it easy to

draw on the work of professions outside the Civil Service (ie, there is a no Chartered Association of

Operational Delivery Professionals).

Within these two large professions, segments are already starting to crystallise. For example, the

operational delivery profession is made up of contact, processing and casework centres, amongst others.

An active approach to segmentation is already taken in some parts of the Civil Service (such as the Office

for National Statistics and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).

Going forward, it will also be important to review whether the 25 professions already in existence which

came into existence over many decades and in an ad hoc manner do indeed segment todays workforce

in the most appropriate way. The Civil Service Capabilities Group in the Cabinet Office are bringing

forward proposals for an overall approach to extending workforce segmentation. These proposals will be

integrated into the development of the People Framework and aligned with the approach advocated in Sir

Suma Chakrabartis Review of the Role of The Cabinet Office (2007).

The implementation of the skills strategy will make a real difference to individuals within

the government sector, giving them better chances of identifying and developing the skills


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that will enable them to succeed in their chosen jobs and careers. This paper includes in

(blue text boxes) a small number of case studies that are based on genuine situations.

They illustrate how the implementation of the strategy will benefit current and future

employees.

Case study: improving professional standards

How a clearer career pathway promotesupward mobility

Dipti, 38, joined the Civil Service as a Fast Stream assistant economist after leaving university with

a PhD in economics. She held a number of policy and private office posts within the Department of

Trade and Industry and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. In 2008,

she went for her first Senior Civil Service (SCS) assessment panel and was unsuccessful. Her

feedback showed that she needed to deepen her core skills, particularly people management, and

broaden her experience of non-policy roles. Dipti was disappointed, and confused about how to gain

broader experience without moving away from her specialist knowledge. She found it difficult to

identify her next move.

Following the introduction of the skills strategy in 2008, the Head of Profession for policy delivery

developed standards and articulated career pathways for individuals within the profession. Workingwith advisors in the profession, and with her departmental brokerage service, Dipti was able to find

a year long secondment to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, working as a

social trends analyst across government, analysing the impact of different policies and delivery

mechanisms. To improve her people management skills, Dipti was also advised to volunteer as a

mentor in a pilot scheme being set up by the policy profession as part of their work to bring on

talent within the profession. She hopes these experiences will develop her skills and give her a

better chance at her second SCS assessment panel.


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What is workforce segmentation?

Workforce segmentation involves grouping employees into segments with common characteristics

such as function, expertise or location. Segmentation is not an end in itself; rather, it is a means to

enable more tailored workforce planning. The aim within our sector is to create a more capable

workforce that is better placed to deliver Governments goals.

Employer benefits

Workforce segmentation can be linked to professional standards. Employers can benefit from this

approach because it becomes:

more straightforward to recruit suitably skilled staff, as a result of focused talent management, and

easier to retain capable staff due to the opportunities provided by employee development and

enhanced cross-sector mobility.

Employee benefits

Segmentation also has benefits for employees, notably:

clearer career paths

greater internal and external marketability, and

closer engagement with their own professional communities.

In operational delivery, segmentation could focus on functions eg, processing, case work and

customer contact. In policy delivery, it might focus on themes that cut across departments eg,

social or economic policy.

A new role for Heads of Professions

The Heads of Profession will have a central role in ensuring that the skills strategy is a success. In future,

they will be accountable for:

segmenting their profession and providing occupational profiles for each of the distinct functions within

the profession

maintaining labour market information on the profession, including trends in supply and demand within

government and in the wider market, to help provide the business with the tools for better workforce

planning

providing standards for attainment at all grades that are covered by the profession and ensuring theyare applied rigorously drawing on National Occupational Standards as a default option, and

developing new standards when necessary

providing tools and guidance to individual members and managers in their profession to measure

individuals professional competence, including recognition of prior and experiential learning


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preparing an analysis demonstrating how the skills in the profession in central government relate to the

skills used by the profession in the wider economy, and

working with human resources (HR) and learning and development teams in departments to ensure

that standards and qualifications are progressively integrated into HR systems (eg, for recruitment,

performance management, learning and development, pay, succession planning etc).

There are working models in place within government that clearly show the feasibility and effectiveness

of this enhanced role for the professions. A case study of the IT profession is provided here, along with a

short overview of progress in the Finance profession overleaf. Other professions are much less developed,

and the majority still have a long way to go.

Case Study: the Government Information TechnologyProfession

A Segmentation Success Story

Spearheading the movement towards segmentation is the Government Information Technology

Profession. The Profession works to create a joined-up, government-wide IT profession, providing

careers that benefit both the individual and the government. The organisation, established in 2005,

brings together all IT professionals in the UKs public sector, including government departments and

agencies, local government, the health sector and the emergency services. There are up to 15,000

potential members within central government and another 35,000 in the wider public sector.

The organisation is run from the Cabinet Offices Transformational Government Unit. A team of 11

people support the head of profession by providing overall strategic direction and leadership on

crossdepartmental and crosssector issues relating to IT. The Chief Information Officer Council

assists with sponsorship and direction.

The impact of the joined-up approach is impressive. A (virtual) Government IT Academy is beingdeveloped and the team are currently mid-way through implementing professionalism across the

public sector, through outreach activities. Once implementation is complete, the team will reduce in

numbers. The Government IT Profession also runs the Technology in Business Fast Stream

programme.

Where the IT profession stands against the expectations set out in this paper

Objective Achievement

To segment their profession and provide

occupational profiles for each distinct function

Seven competency groups developed, recognised

across the IT profession, sharing good practice and


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within the profession. developing occupational profiles.

To maintain labour market information on the

profession, including trends in supply and

demand within government and in the wider

market.

The profession has carried out a formal independent

survey that included diversity and demography, and

intend to continue surveying at least annually. The

profession has established a Chief Information Officer

level group on performance and reward and another

on talent management.

To provide standards for attainment at all

grades that are covered by the profession.

The profession is working towards this with e-skills UK,

the Sector Skills Council focusing on the IT profession

UK-wide (e-Skills is revising the National Occupational

Standards). The profession is developing a

qualifications framework to back up the standards.

To provide tools and guidance to individual

members and managers within their profession

to measure individuals professional

competence, including a recognition of prior

and experiential learning.

There is guidance on the Government IT Professions

web site, and this section will be enhanced with a new

product set. Existing assessment tools (notably

InfoBasis and e-skills) are supplemented by others

developed in the public sector (eg, by the Northern

Ireland Civil Service and by Leeds City Council).

To develop an analysis explaining how the skills

in the profession in central government relate

to the skills used by the profession in the wider

economy.

This requirement is not relevant here, as government

professionals use the same specialist and behavioural

skill set used in the private sector.

To support the Heads of Professions in driving up standards, Government Skills will:

provide advice on standards and qualification development

review the quality of professional standards to ensure they are consistent with standards in other

professions across the sector and, where relevant, consistent with externally verified standards

support professions to envision future demand for skills and plan accordingly, and

work with the Civil Service Capabilities Group to ensure that there is a commonality of approach across

professions and an effective dialogue with the business.The Government Skills Strategy Board will

report to the Permanent Secretaries Management Group (PSMG) on the extent to which professions are

meeting their new accountabilities.

To enable Heads of Professions to meet these accountabilities, targeted investment will be needed in the

infrastructure of the professions. At the moment, capability varies widely depending on a number of

factors:


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Case study: the Government Finance Profession (GFP)

Implementing a cross-government approach

The Government Finance Profession was rebranded in April 2006, replacing the Government

Accountancy Service. Its emphasis has been on securing world-class financial management fordepartments across central government. There are nearly 7,800 finance professionals in

government today and 90 per cent of total resource spending is in departments with a qualified

Finance Director (FD). Overall, 93 per cent of departments now have qualified FDs , which compares

with 39 per cent in 2004.

The team has also introduced accelerated training programmes, in conjunction with the Chartered

Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Chartered Institute of Management

Accountants (CIMA). These programme give senior managers, with significant financial experience ,

the opportunity to qualify as finance professionals.

Financial management is one of the core skills in the PSG competency framework, and the GFP is

working to improve skills in this area for non-finance professions across the sector. An importantdevelopment has been the launch of a Fast Stream Finance option and the creation of Finance Skills

for All as part of the Love Learning programme. Designed to improve financial literacy, this online

training course is open to all civil servants.

The Civil Service needs to cementand strengthen strong functional leadership,and, in particular, formalise the emerging modelof co-development and hence co-ownership of proposedsolutions between professions and departments.

Suma Chakrabartis Review of the Role of the Cabinet Office,

Annex: Common Standards and Processes across Government,

November 2007

maturity and external recognition professions vary sharply in age and status, and the more mature

are in most cases able to draw on standards, tools and expertise readily available outside the Civil

Service

resourcing levels of resource available for the infrastructure of the professions vary dramatically, with

no obvious link to the size of the profession or their strategic contribution to Government outcomes,

and

cohesion where a profession has a short list of occupational profiles (eg, law or economics) it is easier

to establish and prioritise investment around common skill standards. That is harder in the more

diverse professions (eg, operational delivery) where further segmentation is needed.


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It will take both time and money to bring all professions up to the standard of the most developed. The

two largest and most diverse professions, operational delivery and policy delivery, have the greatest

distance to travel and the least to draw on in terms of external benchmarks. They must represent the

most urgent priorities for investment and development. Further research is required into their resourcing

requirements and discussions needed with the two Heads of Profession. At this stage, the cost estimates

in Appendix 2 have been based on an additional ten full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in operational delivery

and five FTEs in policy delivery. With this level of effort, these two key professions should be able to make

substantial progress over the next three years.

In the first half of 2008, the smaller and more specialist professions will need to evaluate the feasibility of

meeting the challenges set out above, assessing the resources required, and setting a realistic but

stretching timetable. Again, further discussions will be needed with the Heads of Profession. At this stage,

cost estimates are based on the provision of three FTEs for a small shared services function working

across the smaller professions (ie, excluding operational delivery, policy delivery, human resources,

finance, information technology, legal and economics). The pace of progress towards meeting the

accountabilities set out here is likely to vary, but again it is realistic to look for a material impact within

three years.

Over time, as professions mature and gain capability and authority, attainment of professional standards

will become increasingly important for career progression. It would not be wise or practicable to impose a

rigid framework of qualification requirements across all professional groupings in an attempt to create

standardised career gateways. Nevertheless, each profession will want to look hard at the relevance and

standing of accredited qualifications appropriate to their own people, and work with business and HR

leaders to set expectations, shape career pathways linked to attainment of standards and qualifications.

Ultimately, the aim is to raise the professional bar where it is appropriate to do so. This is the only way to

ensure that the business gets people into posts with the right standard of professional skills, and that

people want to learn the professional skills that the business wants them to have.

Case study: becoming an HR professional

Career progression through cross-sector employment

Neil, 26, graduated from university in 2005 and after a series of temporary jobs, successfully

applied for a post in the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) as a human resources administrator. His

role was primarily focused on recruiting individuals to the department. After a year in post, Neil

expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the recruitment process. One of Neils

colleagues left SIS the following year and Neil was asked to sit on the sift panel for her replacement.

Through this experience, Neil saw that SIS had begun requiring candidates for HR positions to be

accredited to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on entry, or be willing to

study for a CIPD qualification soon after joining the Service. (This policy is shared by most other

departments on the advice of the HR head of profession.) Neil spoke to his manager about how he

might become a qualified HR professional. Having sought guidance from the HR profession, hismanager found him a job-shadowing opportunity in another department to help broaden Neils

understanding of the profession. There were few short term opportunities for progression within HR

in the SIS, so Neil applied for executive officer posts in the larger, operational departments and was

offered a job in the Ministry of Justice. His new department has agreed to fund him through the first


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part of his CIPD qualification and will also put him in touch with a colleague who will act as a coach

to help cement his learning.

Common action on common skills

needs

It is essential for the success of the skills strategy, and to underpin the PSG competency framework, that

professional standards are developed and professional infrastructures are put in place so that levels of

skills can be increased. However, Heads of Profession, and their colleagues in the business who control

the resources to invest in skills development, need a better set of tools at their disposal to develop skills.

The key strategic principle proposed here is that when there is a common skills need (ie, a need that is

common across all or much of the sector) we should take common action to address it. A three-step

approach will be required to:

devise common professional standards

identify common skills priorities, and

take action in common.

The first step towards taking action in common is to identify common skills needs. A substantial body of

evidence exists, including survey evidence of skills gaps (see section 3 above), functional mapping, and

departments own skills strategies. This evidence has been used to draw up a list of core skills required

for extending the PSG competency framework and will form the basis around which common action is

taken. This is not a centrally mandated solution. In all cases, it is the business that must determine whichskills to prioritise and what action to take. The benefits of common action in each case need to be

sufficiently clear so that decision-makers will choose common action because it offers better value.

This is a dynamic rather than a static list. In order to ensure that the list is both evidence-based and

future-orientated, Government Skills will initiate a programme of research and consultation to assess

future trends in skills requirements and skills gaps. Co-ordinating its own efforts with those of the National

School of Government, Government Skills will target part of its research investment at spotting trends

and surfacing and specifying emerging requirements so that we anticipate future skills gaps rather than

chase the market. For example, it is already clear that a thorough understanding of how to apply

sustainable development principles will need to be a key part of policy skills for the future, as will the

ability to engage the wider public in the development and implementation of new ideas.13

Common skills needs (based on PSG)

Information and communication technology (ICT)

user skills

Programme and project management

Customer service Analysis and use of evidence

People management Communications and marketing


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Financial management Strategic thinking

Leadership

Case study: Workplace 2010 and Essential Skills

How learning new skills transformed the futures of 300 staff

Workplace 2010 is a reform initiative in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) that has directly

affected 300 support grade staff who provide messenger, security and reception services for NICS

buildings. Developing new skills has been a crucial factor in successful redeployment of affected

staff within the Service.

A comprehensive programme, including a lateral transfer scheme and a training package, has

opened up different career pathways for individuals who have been affected by Workplace 2010,

allowing them to move from support grades to administrative grades. Individuals have been given

the opportunity to learn interview techniques and participate in a pilot Essential Skills programme

covering IT, communication, literacy and numeracy skills important for their new roles.

Over three-quarters of the eligible staff applied for lateral transfer, and most of them benefited from

the interview training. Over a third of them joined the Essential Skills pilot. The success rate, in

terms of those selected for redeployment, is close to 100 per cent. This means that there will be no

compulsory transfers of support grade staff to the private sector as a result of Workplace 2010. The

Essential Skills pilot will soon be evaluated so that it can inform future policy in the NICS.

The goal is that for each of the common skills needs identified, there will be a shared understanding

across the sector about what each means and the nature of current and future requirements. There is

then the opportunity for departments as customers of services to rapidly source high-quality skills

development solutions, to bring their staff up to common, professionally endorsed skills standards.

To enable effective common action, the skills strategy includes a number of recommendations which are

designed to:

provide a better definition of common skills needs, and develop the right strategy to meet them

ensure an efficient and effective means of procurement for skills development services (including, but

by no means limited to, training), and

increase the quality and value for money of learning provision.


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Few in central Government disagree in theory with common action. However, the challenge is in ensuring that

taking common action, and meeting departmental business needs, is mutually reinforcing. This means building on

the best of what currently exists, rather than expecting departments to follow a top-down model.

The recommendations are necessarily both tactical and strategic. Tactical recommendations are designed

to build on initiatives already under way or planned within the sector, demonstrating the benefits of

common action and providing examples of good practice on which we can build in the future. Strategic

recommendations are designed to change the nature of the commissioning process, enabling employers

to get better value in the medium term. Together, the recommendations will provide a better common

understanding of skills needs; put in place the mechanisms to deliver those needs in partnership; and

reward and open up examples of successful delivery.

At a strategic level, we will move progressively towards joint commissioning of programmes to address

common skills needs. The key steps to achieving this will be:

co-developing a Learning and Development Framework Contract with Office of Government Commerce

Buying Solutions (OGCbs), which can form the basis for subsequent development of delivery

partnerships

carrying out cross-sector training needs analysis, in targeted common skills areas, so as to better

understand common learning and development needs, and

piloting a joint commissioning model by building on existing work conducted for the Analysis and Use of

Evidence core skill. This approach should then be evaluated and rolled out to all the common skillsareas on the list (and to other areas which may be agreed in future).

Few in central Government disagree in theory with common action. However, the challenge is in ensuring that

taking common action, and meeting departmental business needs, is mutually reinforcing. This means building on

the best of what currently exists, rather than expecting departments to follow a top-down model.

The recommendations are necessarily both tactical and strategic. Tactical recommendations are designed

to build on initiatives already under way or planned within the sector, demonstrating the benefits of

common action and providing examples of good practice on which we can build in the future. Strategic

recommendations are designed to change the nature of the commissioning process, enabling employers

to get better value in the medium term. Together, the recommendations will provide a better commonunderstanding of skills needs; put in place the mechanisms to deliver those needs in partnership; and

reward and open up examples of successful delivery.

At a strategic level, we will move progressively towards joint commissioning of programmes to address

common skills needs. The key steps to achieving this will be:

co-developing a Learning and Development Framework Contract with Office of Government Commerce

Buying Solutions (OGCbs), which can form the basis for subsequent development of delivery

partnerships

carrying out cross-sector training needs analysis, in targeted common skills areas, so as to better

understand common learning and development needs, and

piloting a joint commissioning model by building on existing work conducted for the Analysis and Use of

Evidence core skill. This approach should then be evaluated and rolled out to all the common skills

areas on the list (and to other areas which may be agreed in future).


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At a tactical level, we will work with departments to:

launch a pathfinder programme of 500 additional apprenticeships in government. For the first time, the

Learning and Skills Council has agreed to part-fund the programme and will consider further funding if

it is a success

open the MOD Defence Academy Consortiums suite of e-learning products to other sector employers

develop a skills award for internal providers, initially as a new category for the Civil Service Awards

open the Department for Work and Pensions NVQ accreditation centre to other sector employers for

consultancy advice and delivery of NVQs, and

pilot ITQ, an IT training and qualification programme in DWP and HM Revenue & Customs, to provide a

robust return on investment data for a qualifications-based approach in this area.

This range of strategic and tactical initiatives is examined further in the table.14

This strategic and tactical approach to taking common action on common skills priorities will contribute to

raising the skills levels of the current workforce, up to the professional standards set by Heads of

Professions and within the areas the business chooses to prioritise. Through the development of a

common approach to commissioning, it will give us powerful levers to drive up the performance and

value for money offered by suppliers. It will also provide a strong employer voice to influence provision

(including HE/FE provision) to meet business needs and drive up the skills of the current workforce.

Once the strategy is agreed, we will clearly set out the offer to departments and move beyond

acceptance in principle to buy-in in practice. This means asking them to join the common action, whereappropriate, and identifying areas in which they do not want to commit. This will help us evolve the

strategy over time in response to demand.


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Recommendation Benefits Next steps, including timetable for action

Co-develop a learning

and development

framework contract with

OGCbuying.solutions to

be used as the basis for

subsequent

development of delivery

partnerships.

Based on prudent take-up

estimates and guideline

figures for economies of

scale, indicative savings

might rise from 0.25-

0.5m in the first year to

2.5-5m per annum.

Delivery partnerships will

improve performance by

offering tailored solutions to

common skills needs. These

benefits will be revisited

once the OGCbuying

solutions contracts are in

place.

Already well into process of developing

framework. Co-develop Invitation to Tender (ITT)

to ensure targeting of common skills needs and

facilitation of delivery partnerships.

Government Skills to engage the professions in

this work with OGC.

ITT issued (end March 2008) contracts issued

(end July 2008).

Pilot delivery partnership negotiated (September

2008).

Roll out joint commissioning model (January 2009

onwards).

Undertake cross-sector

training needs analysis

in targeted common

skills areas.

Better specification of

requirements will lead to

better solutions, and

progress in closing priority

skills gaps.

Pilot training needs analysis.

Evaluate and roll out full programme of training

needs analysis in other common skills areas

(October 2008 onwards).

Pilot joint commissioning

model in Analysis and

Use of Evidence core

skill.

Builds on existing work in

an important skills area and

will provide crucial lessons

to enable us to maximise

employers confidence in

the full range of jointly

commissioned solutions

and thus the quality and

efficiency benefits realised.

Government researchers have agreed in principle

to take common action on skills relating to Use

of evidence and analytical skills. This is already

underway within the Department of Communities

and Local Government.

Agree scope and plan for the pilot (March 2008).

Pilot Training needs analysis (April 2008), agree

requirement across sector (June 2008),

commission delivery partner (September 2008),

achieve target spend on the joint product (June

2009).

Pilot expansion of

apprenticeships in

government.

Performance benefits from

enhanced Level 3 skills

appropriate to government.

Possible diversity benefits,

especially from adult

apprenticeships.

Confirm co-funding for 500 places with the

Learning and Skills Council and the Department

for Innovation, Universities & Skills. Co-ordinate

marketing and design activity among

departments.

Sign up departments to Pathfinder (starting with

five large departments) (February 2008).

Agree plan with HR Directors to stimulate

demand (early March 2008).

All 500 places September 2008).

Open up the MODs Re-use of an existing Support MOD in dialogue with potential sector


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Recommendation Benefits Next steps, including timetable for action

suite of e-learning

products to the wider

sector.

system could substantially

reduce average costs,

promote common

standards, and establish a

strong precedent.

customers to assess fit to need and overcome

barriers to sharing.

Define and publicise offer on Government Skills

website (April 2008).

Develop a skills award

for internal (and

external) providers.

Produces case studies on

what good looks like,

incentivises high quality

delivery, and strengthens

networks.

Explore fit with Civil Service Awards, sponsorship

opportunities, develop communications

processes.

Agree proposals with Civil Service Award

Organisers in time for next round of awards

(February 2008).

Award first skills award (November 2008).

Open up DWPs NVQ

accreditation centre.

Enabler for expansion of

apprenticeship numbers.

Efficiency benefits from

shared services.

Agree operating principles and procedures with

DWP and resolve operational challenges (eg,

headcount limits). This is a vital underpinning for

cost-effective delivery of apprenticeships (March

2008).

Pilot ITQ in DWP and

HMRC.

Return on investment (ROI)

data from evaluation willquantify benefits of

common action on IT

qualifications. Responds to

strong employee demand.

Contribution to Leitch

targets.

Commission pilot and baseline first with HMRC

and possibly DWP.

Secure full agreement in HMRC and explore DWP

participation (May 2008).

Assess needs; develop plan and launch (October

2008).


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Developing the future workforce

through HE and FE

We will pursue similar, but longer term goals with respect to the future workforce and the development of

the talent pool from which the government sector will draw when recruiting in the years to come. This

strategic aim will involve the development of the knowledge base, engagement with employers, and

working with education partners to address future needs. It will not come to fruition in the short term, but

will spread the area of engagement to encompass both the skills needs of current employees and, for the

first time, the future skills needs of the sector.

Case study: apprenticeship

Career development through a modern apprenticeship

Kieran, 47, left school at 16 with four O Grades, and joined the Scottish Office where he held a

number of administrative posts over 20 years. Successive appraisals identified development needs

in oral and written communication skills. In 2008, as an employee of the Scottish Executive, Kieran

became a beneficiary of the additional investment in adult apprenticeship schemes when he wasrecommended for the Modern Apprenticeship Programme (MAPlus). This programme is geared

towards individuals already in the working environment, and provided opportunities for him to

develop new skills whilst building on his previous work experience. Kieran completed the course

and achieved a qualification as well as developing newfound confidence. His colleagues have

noticed that he has greater presence in the team, and his performance has improved markedly.

The Leitch Report set a clear ambition

for a step change in liaison between employers and higher education institutions, with the aim of

providing programmes that more closely meet the needs of business for economically valuable skills.

The goal is to extend HE provision away from its traditional focus on the 18-30 age group, so that it

covers the whole adult workforce. In addition, the development of vocational qualifications provided by FE

Colleges, among others, should be based on employer demand and business need. Following Lord

Leitchs recommendations, funding for vocational qualifications, including at higher levels, will in future

be linked to employer demand, through the relevant SSC.15

The current situation is patchy. The Lambert Review in 2003 reported that employers found it difficult to

engage with HE providers and that there was widespread employer concern about the job-readiness of

graduates.16 While in general, FE providers have a closer engagement with employers, this is primarily on

a department by department basis, around training and development for current employees. This is an


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extensive and diverse sector in which a large number of institutions operate. It is not realistic for each

department to develop relationships in this complex environment, and it is particularly difficult for the

smaller departments.

We will develop a co-ordinated approach that is capable of supporting the tactical benefits identified

above, in terms of current common needs, and delivering strategic benefits in terms of the future needs

of the sector. This will mean setting up an active interface between the three key partner groups using

Government Skills, in its role as SSC, to facilitate the interaction.

The first step will be to create a strong clear and co-ordinated employer voice which can influence

provision. The Employer Network will brings together representatives from across the sector to:

identify common current and future needs where HE/FE provision is applicable. This will be informed by

our research work on common skills

exchange knowledge and good practice to increase the quality of individual departmental relationships

with HE/FE providers, and

provide an evidence-based analysis of employer demand that will speak to HE/FE providers and

influence their future provision.

Concurrently, we will pursue four strands of activity in this area developing current programmes,

addressing gaps in current provision, influencing delivery and encouraging employer-student

engagement. Key elements of each strand are highlighted below.

Developing current programmesWe will examine the opportunities provided by existing programmes to create a future workforce with a

headstart in the skills required by the sector. We will create a continuous progression of provision with

opportunities at each level for entry into the workforce or further study; and ensure provision of such

programmes is considered in terms of both the existing and future workforce. As an example:

Detailed work is already in hand, through the Public Services Diploma Development Project, to secure HE

support for the Diploma and to ensure that it equips students with the necessary skills, knowledge and

understanding required to progress through to foundation degrees and/or first degrees.

Addressing gaps in current provision

The trend towards vocational degree courses highlights the absence of a qualification at this level for

attracting future government recruits. A new qualification could be tailored to meet the needs of central

government.

(see tables at the end of this section)

Influencing delivery


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We will now explore opportunities for influencing the current methods of delivery.

Encouraging employer-student engagement

Initial research involving employers and Sector Skills Councils suggests that considerable mutual benefit

is gained by bringing employers and the learning environment together. Students benefit from exposure

to current, work-focused expertise and employers forge productive links with potential recruits.

The next step after the establishment of an Employer Network is to create a forum for direct engagement

with key HE and FE providers. Given the complexity of provision, real value will be gained by bringing

providers together to focus on government as a specific sector. We propose following the example of

other Sector Skills Councils by setting up an HE/FE forum.

Its aim would be to:

shape the development of future provision, by informing the providers about the skills needs of central

government, based on the analysis of Government Skills, the professions and the business

help government understand the priorities and challenges that face providers in addressing our current

and future skills needs

debate current and common issues of interest, for example, employer engagement, methods of

delivery, work placement opportunities, and

communicate the strength and scope of employer demand in central government to influence provisiondesign and decisions.

In parallel, we will continue to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders within HE and FE,

including funding, regulatory and co-ordinating bodies both UK-wide and within the devolved

administrations.

Creating the right mechanisms and environment to allow the government sector to work with and

influence provision will not deliver the same short-term benefits as other elements of the strategy.

However, in the longer term it is vital to set in train developments now that will allow the sector to meet

not only current but future skills challenges.


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Topic Possible scope for action

Foundation

Degrees

Consider the scope for increasing flexibility and combining modules to meet the

needs of individual employers, or specific combinations of employers. For example,

Foundation Degree Forward is currently in discussion with Government

Communications Headquarters looking at modules that would meet their very

specific telecommunications skills requirements.

Examine the progression route from Foundation Degrees into higher level studyrelevant to central government. The Royal Air Force/Ministry of Defence already link

their foundation degree to a BA (Hons) degree and it will be useful to build on this

experience.

Examine scope for widening access to both current employees and pre-entry

students. One provider, Chester, is already considering this for the Foundation

Degree in Government.

Post-graduate

study

While some employers, such as the Armed Forces, have established close links with

institutions providing post-graduate qualifications, there is no consistency of

approach across the sector. Decisions are often made at an individual or business

unit level and there is no central information available on take-up, or analysis of thevalue in meeting business needs.

We will review current provision including take-up, value and retention levels as a

prior step to further engagement with HE institutions.

Topic Possible scope for action

Vocational

undergraduate

degrees or

equivalents

In addition to the highly successful Fast Stream programme, central government

employs a large number of graduates across a wide range of disciplines and at all

levels. Established professions such as economists and statisticians already have a

clear undergraduate programme route, but there is currently no equivalent

addressing skills needs for other areas, such as policy or operational delivery.

While it is important not to develop any pre-conceived notions about the most

suitable type of programme or qualification, we propose that the Employer Network


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established to influence provision should work with the relevant Heads of

Professions, and scope a proposal for developing a vocational programme at the

undergraduate or equivalent level, designed around the skills needs of central

government employers.

This would address student demand for employment-focused degree courses and

create a more broadly based graduate entry cadre. It would be important to ensure

that any such development would complement and not detract from the Fast Stream

offer.

Sandwich

programmes

Sandwich programmes combine academic study with practical work based

experience. Recent research carried out by ASET, a professional body promoting

work-based learning, found that sandwich course students were more likely to

achieve a first or 2.1 than non-placement students, and were also more likely to find

full-time work after graduation. Almost 70 per cent of students were offered

permanent jobs by their placement employer after graduation. Employers consider

these programmes a valuable recruitment channel.

We will examine the benefits of offering work-placements to sandwich students and

the practical difficulties and potential barriers to such an approach. One aspect of

encouraging programmes with a significant work placement is the potential impact

on diversity. The current Summer Placement Scheme, offered to potential Fast

Stream candidates from under-represented groups, offers a point of comparison.

Opportunities for

work-based

learning and

employer

engagement in

the learning

process.

Explore with employers the opportunities based on the following models:

Babcock Defence Services and Hartlepool College of Further Education have come

together so students on the National Diploma in Aerospace Engineering can visit RAF

Leeming each month to gain practical experience of operating and maintaining

military aircraft. The experience is documented as part of their course.

Leading employers in the IT field assist in the delivery of the IT Management forBusiness degree which combines business related content with academic learning.

Employers provide experts to lead seminars and mentors for the students, as well as

graduate and placement opportunities. Both employers and providers believe that

this approach significantly improves the quality of learning.

Sector-wide application of the strategy

The skills strategy will offer significant benefits across the whole of the sector. The sector is far from

uniform, and in developing the strategy careful consideration has been given to ensuring it is relevant for

different people in all parts of the sector, and it will have a positive impact throughout.

We have carried out a diversity impact assessment, against the following criteria:

ethnicity

gender

disability

religion and belief

sexual orientation

age, and

social inclusion.


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Overall, the impact of the current strategy is predicted to be positive, with women (particularly those in

the older age groups) benefiting most from the action to deliver on the Skills Pledge. Working more

closely with the tertiary sector will help develop stronger links with communities, assisting in developing

a workforce more reflective of the entire population. A broad range of delivery mechanisms are being

considered (eg, e-learning) which will assist employees requiring reasonable adjustment to learn and

improve accessibility for those with caring responsibilities.

It has been highlighted, as part of the assessment, that any initiative taken to encourage the uptake of

qualifications should consider any potential barriers (eg, part time working arrangements, caring

responsibilities) that may affect the pace individuals are able to obtain qualifications.

Case study: engaging with HE/FE providers

Successful collaborations with employers and HE/FE

The work of other Sector Skills Councils has demonstrated the value of engaging closely with

employers and HE/FE to design programmes that respond to their specific needs.

SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies in the UK)

skills strategy 2008 uk government

Documents