Programme Information

The Professional Certificate in Public Sector Delivery

The Certificate in Public Sector Delivery is the best way to enhance your competencies and to build a successful career in the Civil Service. Very specific and practical training, designed and facilitated by civil servants and experts, will put you in an excellent position to achieve more.

You will be excited to hear that the core competencies as outlined by Professional Skills for Government 2 and the National Occupational Standards for Policy Makers form the framework for the newly developed training programme for the Certificate in Public Sector Delivery.

A well skilled and appropriately trained Civil Service workforce is key among the Government’s current priorities. Commenting on how the Civil Service improves its skills and its capacity to deliver services effectively, Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service, said recently:

"For our part, we must make sure that the people we employ have deeply embedded professional skills. The Professional Skills for government agenda is the key to our strategy here."

The Professional Certificate in Public Sector Delivery is a professional qualification geared towards Civil Servants from diverse backgrounds.

Learning modules and dates for the next intake (series 20)

Delegates on the course will receive training and valuable feedback. Progress will be monitored very closely in core skills such as objective and analytical (evidence based) policy formulation, effective methods of Government communication, presentation and marketing skills, practical project and programme management techniques, leadership and people management competences, strategic thinking formulas and applications, and financial management.

Delegates attend the 6 core modules and choose 3 seminars/workshops out of the Westminster Explained open training programme to attend as Elective Modules .

Series 20

• Module 1 - Civil Servants and Ministers working together on policy making - 16th September 2010
• Module 2 - Policy analysis, development and evaluation - 14th October 2010
• Module 3 - Communication and presentation skills in a political enviroment - 11th November 2010
• Module 4 - Understanding theory and practice for handling parliament - 7th December 2010
• Module 5 - Understanding the role of leadership and people management in the civil service - 20th January 2011
• Module 6 - Key elements of project management in the civil service - 17th February 2011

Assessment and learning portfolio

Trainees will actively develop their competencies and complete exercises after each of the first 6 modules. This should take approximately 5 hours of their own time. Delegates will receive profound feedback on their work and will be helped to hone their skills in each of the areas. Each delegate is expected to build up a portfolio with the tasks, the feedback and other learning logs. This portfolio will serve as ‘learning evidence’ and contribute to the final result, together with the final task.

Through a final piece of assessed coursework delegates will demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have acquired and their ability to apply them in their day-to-day work. This final task will be assessed by internal and external assessors and successful candidates will be awarded the Professional Certificate in Public Sector Delivery, accredited by the Open College Network.