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APM responds to announcement of a new School of Government to train civil servants

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The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones MP, has announced changes to processes in Government to speed up delivery of major Government projects. 

Chief amongst those changes is the announcement of a new School of Government to train civil servants in a number of key areas including programme and project management and delivery. And the use of more agile approaches when delivering projects, as was seen with the Vaccine Taskforce during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Other changes were included around the hiring of civil servants, issues of poor performance, and changes to decision making. 

Speaking after the speech, Andrew Baldwin, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at APM, commented:

“Vast sums of taxpayers’ money is invested in Government major projects. We need to know this money is being spent by competent professionals, backed up by professional qualifications in project management. So, the announcement of a new School of Government is good news and will complement the great work already being done by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA). 

“We’re delighted to see more prominence being given to programme and project management and delivery. It sends the right message – that project delivery isn’t something that can be cobbled together last minute, but instead needs a long-term approach.  

“And the focus on methodologies shows that delivery is being taken seriously. Agile isn’t right for every project, but it can benefit certain projects. A greater understanding of what to use, and when to use it, is welcomed.” 

The announcement mirrors the recommendations of the recent All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Project Delivery report, Building a Better Future. The report calls for long-term investment in projects, to embed the delivery discipline as a permanent feature of government to end the so-called "valley of death" problem that exists between policy and delivery. It also calls for project management training to be mandatory for Senior Civil Servants and anyone managing a government project over £10 million. 

The APPG Chair, Henry Tufnell MP added: “With billions in public and private funding ready to flow into infrastructure projects over the next decade, we have a generational opportunity to change people’s lives for the better. 

“Everything is pointing towards the need for a radical shift in how we deliver infrastructure projects.  

“Offering project management and delivery training for senior civil servants, one of the key recommendations in our report, is the first step on this journey. Embedding project management and delivery into the civil service will support the success of future infrastructure projects. 

We urge the Government to consider the APPG’s other recommendations, which will clear the path towards better infrastructure delivery.” 

APM welcomes report calling for “radical shift’ in Government’s approach to infrastructure delivery

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