Guidance

Annex B: Leadership college curriculum summarised

Published 21 June 2022

What you can expect from the Leadership College for Government, based on who you are:

1. All managers

A clear, consistent and accessible leadership and management curriculum, with 4 new quality-assured management programmes based on our rigorous new educational standards. The curriculum is rolling out from Spring 2022 and delivers clear standards and better performance management.

Together the programmes, or pathways, will provide the knowledge and skills required for managers operating at the relevant level through hybrid learning methods and engaging content and media, alongside opportunities for peer learning and networking.

2. Permanent secretaries, directors general, and Civil Service equivalents

Our offer includes:

• Personalised development for all directors general, no matter what their career stage - with specific programmes for the induction of new DGs, and targeted leadership development for those ready to progress to more senior roles

• Function specific programmes

• Development interventions delivered by our selected partners, and aligned with the capability gaps we’ve identified

• Access to a wide range of activities, events and programmes alongside counterparts from across the wider public sector and an understanding of what’s available from private organisations and universities

We will retain and enhance the best elements of today’s offer, increasing the size and reach of activities to complement those of our public sector partners and designing in essential hard skills such as project management, operational delivery and data analysis.

We will also increase our universal offer, tailor the Civil Service Orientation, and continue delivering the Cabinet Secretary-led collective leadership events. We will do this by adding elective modules in hard skills and knowledge development in key areas including systems leadership, big data analysis and government priorities (Net Zero, Levelling Up, Global Britain etc.)

3. Public sector Chief Executive Officers and equivalents

In addition to self-funded sector-specific offers, we offer a range of activities, events and programmes that include public sector CEOs and equivalent leaders. In some cases leaders are part of a cohort and form deep connections across sectors. We also offer a rolling programme of short form learning and networking events.

We will refresh the content, learning methods and residential elements of our offer that brings civil service and wider public leaders together, and open it up to a wider audience of senior leaders. We will expand our CEO shadowing programme and learning events and offer regionally-focused network building events to facilitate the delivery of complex systems priorities, such as Levelling Up, across the civil service and wider public sector.

4. Civil Service directors

The High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS), our 2-year programme for directors created 20 years ago, will be replaced by a rigorous 12-month programme for an initial cohort of around 30 talented directors. It reflects international best practice in executive education, using case method and supporting the acquisition of skills and knowledge for modern government. We will also expand elements of the director general/CEO-level offer to civil service and wider public sector officials at this rank, to improve systems leadership.

We will also refresh our existing suite of induction and support events, available to all newly promoted and new to Civil Service officials.

5. Civil Service deputy directors

We will update the existing 2-year Senior Leaders Scheme (SLS) for selected deputy directors on a promotion track, using the new director programme as the template for a revised 1-year programme for talented deputy directors by 2023/24. We will also provide a refreshed suite of induction and orientation events for newly promoted and new to Civil Service deputy directors, alongside a universal offer covering key subjects such as systems leadership, big data analysis and government priorities such as Net Zero and Levelling Up.

6. Civil Service senior managers (grade 6 and 7)

The existing 2-year Future Leaders Scheme (FLS) for selected grade 6s and 7s on a promotion track will be updated into a 1-year programme for talented grade 6s and 7s by 2023, using the new director programme as the template.

We will refresh and modernise our targeted support for underrepresented groups and introduce a new universal offer for high potential grade 6s and 7s.