Public Servant Lifestyle

The new National School Of Government (NSG) aims to boost leadership & professionalism, improve delivery & achieve efficiency targets across the UK Civil Service.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Andrew Turnbull has launched the National School of Government, which aims to work "nationally and internationally to help public sector organisations build capacity in good governance and offer more effective, better value services in partnership with other world-class providers which build on our strengths in leading, learning, consulting and researching".

The creation of this National School - based at Sunningdale Park and in London - forms part of the Civil Service Reform agenda, and will support the priorities of the Government to strengthen leadership, increase professionalism, improve delivery and achieve efficiency.

Strengthening leadership and skills are a key area of Civil Service Reform that the National School of Government will help deliver. The National School will have a specific role in ensuring the investment of high quality development of current and future leaders of the Civil Service. It will provide core skills training and professional development aligned to the requirements of the Government of the day, ensuring that this knowledge and expertise permeates the public service.

It also takes on responsibility for services previously delivered by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS), as the UK Government's centre for development.

Values & Delivery

Sir Andrew chose the launch of the NSG to also unveil the Delivery and Values: One year on report, looking at progress made, so far, in reforming the Civil Service. The document follows on from the February 2005 Civil Service Delivery and Values event, at London docklands, where Sir Andrew and the Prime Minister set out their vision for transforming the Civil Service.

In his speech, Sir Andrew talked through the report, and highlighted a few of the headline achievements, including:

Professional Skills for Government - the programme to ensure civil servants have the right skills and experiences to do their jobs well, which will be rolled out across departments from September

.

Fit for purpose departments - all of the major departments are now covered by five year strategies and are restructuring and refocusing to deliver these.

Greater Efficiency - departments have already delivered £2 billion efficiency gains ahead of time.

Better regulation - the Better Regulation Executive has been set up to reduce the administrative burdens faced by business and rationalise inspection

The Prime Minister said: " When I spoke at Docklands last year, I focused on the need to make the Civil Service more relevant to the modern age.

"On reading this report, I am pleased with the progress being made. Departments are delivering efficiency gains ahead of time, the newly created Better Regulation Executive is reducing the burden of paperwork for business and the launch of the National School of Government will ensure we have excellent leaders for a modern Civil Service."

Reform

Sir Andrew said: "I am delighted to show how far we have come already in implementing the Civil Service Reform programme I set out last year. Delivery and Values: One Year on demonstrates how through better business processes, greater professionalism and stronger leadership and corporate services we are contributing to the real improvements people are seeing in public services.

"The launch of the National School of Government...is crucial in helping support this agenda by securing relevant high quality, tailored training and development for both our current and future leaders."

Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Hutton, also attended the launch. He said: "Civil Service Reform is crucial in helping achieve wider public services reform. The Civil Service needs to be able to show it can deliver - the progress on reform we have made in the last year, coupled with the launch of the new School today, demonstrates that we are making real progress."

National School Principal David Spencer and Professor Cary Cooper, Pro Vice Chancellor (External Relations), Lancaster University also spoke at the event.

More information available in Education & Training