What happened
The UK government has launched its new National School of Government and Public Services, with a focus on AI skills. The school will have a dedicated residential campus at The Hawkhills in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, and will offer training in areas including artificial intelligence, digital skills, leadership and management.
The UK government has formally launched its new National School of Government and Public Services, with a focus on AI skills.
The school will have a dedicated residential campus at The Hawkhills in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, and will offer training in areas including artificial intelligence, digital skills, leadership and management.
The school's curriculum will be organised around six areas of universal skills: leadership and management; working in government; digital, data, innovation and AI; personal effectiveness; communication and collaboration; and strategy and critical thinking.
Training will also cover devolution and national security, and the school will deliver an enhanced induction programme for senior civil servants and oversee talent schemes including apprenticeships and the Civil Service Fast Stream.
The government said that bringing more learning and development in-house would help reduce spending on external training providers over time.
Source details: globalgovernmentforum.com
Why it matters
The new school is part of the government's plans to strengthen civil service capability, improve public sector productivity, and reduce reliance on external training providers. The school's focus on AI skills is a key part of this plan, as the government aims to use AI to achieve more fundamental changes to government operations and public services.
The new school is part of the government's plans to strengthen civil service capability, improve public sector productivity, and reduce reliance on external training providers.
The school's focus on AI skills is a key part of this plan, as the government aims to use AI to achieve more fundamental changes to government operations and public services.
A recent Global Government Forum study found that the next phase of government AI adoption will require changes to the way departments operate, alongside investment in workforce capability.
The study identified four priorities: setting a clear ambition for AI and demonstrating impact; developing a more joined-up approach to scaling successful applications; preparing the workforce for the future; and establishing the right conditions to balance trust and pace.
The study also highlighted the need to look beyond AI training alone to consider how the technology will change tasks, roles, professions and career paths, and what this means for recruitment and workforce planning.
Interactive Mechanism: How It Actually Works
Explore the underlying technology behind this development interactively.
A route planner searches possible journeys using explicit rules. What does this illustrate about AI?
What to watch next
The impact of the new school on civil service capability and public sector productivity will be closely watched. The government's plans to use AI to achieve more fundamental changes to government operations and public services will also be closely monitored.
The impact of the new school on civil service capability and public sector productivity will be closely watched.
The government's plans to use AI to achieve more fundamental changes to government operations and public services will also be closely monitored.
The success of the new school will depend on more than providing training, and will require a focus on developing managers' skills, linking performance assessment to both behaviours and outcomes, strengthening digital capability, and creating a shared culture across departments.
The school's activities will be evidence-led and evaluated for their real-world impact through a dedicated National School Evidence Centre.
The government's plans to reduce spending on external training providers and cut departmental administration costs by 16% over five years will also be closely watched.