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Career Development, Skills & Training

Illustration of a training session.

Exclusive: majority of civil servants crave better training opportunities, global survey finds

Just over a third of civil and public servants (36.3%) are satisfied with the training options available to them and only 40.7% of managers feel they have sufficient training budgets […]

A person's hands working at a desk keyboard

Top teleworking tips: OPM shares performance management advice for hybrid-working US federal government

The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has circulated information to human resource directors at federal agencies setting out how to operate a performance management process for employees in a […]

Lessons from history: can the COVID crisis boost science skills in government?

Criticisms about the lack of science skills in the UK civil service have been acknowledged by the government’s top official. Do previous crisis show how Whitehall can adapt? In November […]

Taking stock of the pandemic response: building human resilience in civil services

Managing COVID-19 has placed huge demands on public and civil servants everywhere. Una O’Brien, leadership coach and former permanent secretary at the UK’s health department, explores what research tells us […]

A new breed of public servants: skills and staffing after the pandemic

Civil servants have broken new ground during the COVID-19 pandemic – using hackathons, scientific advisory groups and private sector volunteers to shape policy and deliver services, for example. But at […]

UK’s digital leaders set out goals on data and skills

The UK’s new central digital teams are to accelerate their work on data management across government, career development within the profession and digital skills throughout the workforce, the civil service’s […]

The growing friction between bilingualism and other forms of inclusion in Canada

A letter from Ottawa: The state’s commitment to the French and English languages is rubbing against hopes for greater inclusion, writes Michael Wernick, former clerk of the Privy Council. But […]

Collective wisdom: women leaders share their career tips for the next generation

Don’t limit yourself, and remember Winne the Pooh. To celebrate International Women’s Day, senior officials share the advice they wish they had known earlier in their working lives To celebrate […]

Digital disruption in my career: from civil servant to entrepreneur, and back again

John Fitzpatrick, director for digital enablement at the UK’s Ministry of Defence, explains how embracing digital transformed his professional journey – even if it hasn’t always been plain sailing In […]
A picture of Francis Maude, who drove the UK civil service reform agenda during his time as Cabinet Office minister between 2010 and 2015

UK civil servants spurned leadership training, says Francis Maude

UK civil service leaders resisted the government’s attempts to provide them with intensive leadership training, former Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has said, arguing that the civil service shows “an […]