About us
We support civil servants and public sector leaders to develop the skills, knowledge and networks they need to deliver their best for citizens and ministers.
Who we are
Government Skills brings together central Government teams responsible for civil servants’ and senior public service leaders’ learning and development.
Training for civil servants
We offer a full range of learning for civil servants which includes hundreds of online courses which are free and quick to access.
Our quality assured curriculum of recommended learning signposts civil servants to the courses that we believe matter the most and should be every civil servant’s first port of call when they consider their training needs
It is searchable by course name via our A-Z of the best free courses and also by subject area such Digital, data and innovation, leadership and management, writing skills and others.
Plans for a National School of Government and Public Services
On 20 January 2026, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones announced plans to establish the National School of Government and Public Services to support our ambitions for a world-class, professional Civil Service. The new school will:
- Align Civil Service training with government priorities, such as artificial intelligence, ensuring civil servants are properly skilled for a more digital approach to government.
- Design and deliver more training in-house, removing duplication and reducing expenditure on external providers over time to provide better value for the taxpayer.
- Introduce a new, streamlined curriculum for civil servants - giving them clarity about what skills they are expected to learn.
- Invest in public sector leadership at the most senior levels, through place-based collaboration and expanding leadership development programmes.
Fast Stream and accelerated development schemes
The Fast Stream is our flagship leadership and management programme. It is one of the UK’s top graduate schemes, and is regularly recognised by Times Top 100 Graduate Employer list.
It ensures the Civil Service has a valuable, flexible pool of high-calibre trainees across all government professions and supports a pipeline of future talent.
Public service leaders
We offer events, courses and programmes to the most senior leaders of the largest public sector and civil service organisations.
Our National Leadership Forum (NLF) brings together the most senior leaders in the UK for an annual conference and a series of topical place-based events.
The Public Leaders Programme welcomes CEOs for a 12 month programme focussed on systems leadership, managing crises across boundaries, and leading tomorrow’s organisations.
College for National Security
The College for National Security aims to break down barriers, deepen expertise, and build communities in National Security across the Civil Service and public sector.
The College provides learning to colleagues at all levels of experience about the threats our country faces and how we can counter them.
Through UK-wide learning and events, the College aims to improve responsiveness and effectiveness in countering increasingly hybrid threats and supports a growing community of national security practitioners in building their careers and networks. .
Contact us
Contact the team at governmentskillscomms@cabinetoffice.gov.uk