UK Government Announces Revival of 'School of Government' Amid Growing Criticism Over Whitehall's Training and Performance
The UK government has announced plans to establish a new "school of government" aimed at training senior civil servants in modern skills, including artificial intelligence (AI). The move is seen as an effort to revamp the civil service and improve its ability to respond to changing times.
In a speech set to be delivered on Tuesday, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, will outline the government's plans for reforming Whitehall. The new school will offer training in areas such as economics, finance, policy, leadership, management, commercial, AI, data and digital, programme and project management, and delivery.
The initiative is part of a broader effort by the government to "rewire" the civil service and promote innovation. Jones has stated that the goal is to build in-house state capacity to deliver on ambitious targets, citing the need for high-quality training and education for public servants.
Critics have pointed out that previous attempts at reforming Whitehall have been met with failure, including the closure of the national school of government under former Prime Minister David Cameron. The latest move has sparked debate over whether it will succeed where others have failed.
The new school is expected to launch later this year and expand its capacity over the next three years. Jones has emphasized that his focus is on improving the system rather than criticizing civil servants, who he acknowledges are frustrated with the current state of affairs.
As part of his reform agenda, Jones plans to reduce government spending on external consultants by half and aim for a 16% reduction in departmental administration costs over five years. This could lead to savings of £2bn annually by 2030.
While some have welcomed the new initiative as a step towards improving Whitehall's performance, others remain skeptical about its success. The debate highlights the ongoing challenge facing the UK government in reforming its civil service and building a more effective public sector.
The UK government has announced plans to establish a new "school of government" aimed at training senior civil servants in modern skills, including artificial intelligence (AI). The move is seen as an effort to revamp the civil service and improve its ability to respond to changing times.
In a speech set to be delivered on Tuesday, Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, will outline the government's plans for reforming Whitehall. The new school will offer training in areas such as economics, finance, policy, leadership, management, commercial, AI, data and digital, programme and project management, and delivery.
The initiative is part of a broader effort by the government to "rewire" the civil service and promote innovation. Jones has stated that the goal is to build in-house state capacity to deliver on ambitious targets, citing the need for high-quality training and education for public servants.
Critics have pointed out that previous attempts at reforming Whitehall have been met with failure, including the closure of the national school of government under former Prime Minister David Cameron. The latest move has sparked debate over whether it will succeed where others have failed.
The new school is expected to launch later this year and expand its capacity over the next three years. Jones has emphasized that his focus is on improving the system rather than criticizing civil servants, who he acknowledges are frustrated with the current state of affairs.
As part of his reform agenda, Jones plans to reduce government spending on external consultants by half and aim for a 16% reduction in departmental administration costs over five years. This could lead to savings of £2bn annually by 2030.
While some have welcomed the new initiative as a step towards improving Whitehall's performance, others remain skeptical about its success. The debate highlights the ongoing challenge facing the UK government in reforming its civil service and building a more effective public sector.
I think it's cool they wanna make their gov trainin better 
. It's like 
time to update Whitehall's skills set 
. Maybe this new school will help 'em 
. But, gotta be real 
... what's the point if previous tries failed 
? Can't just blame civil servants for problems 
. Less consultants and admin costs sounds like a good start 
. Fingers crossed they can do better than before 
. they gotta recognize that whitehall needs an upgrade, especially with all the changes happening these days. having a school of gov't where ppl can learn about AI, economics, and other skills is a solid start 
. hopefully, this one sticks 
. reducing admin costs and saving £2bn is a nice bonus too 
. what do u think tho?
. They've tried before, and it's not always been a success story. The fact that they're making some changes to reduce costs and reliance on external consultants is a good start, but we'll have to see if these efforts will translate into actual improvements.
. I mean, who doesn't love a good reboot? 
And let's be real, £2bn savings sounds like a pretty sweet deal 
. But what's the catch? Are we gonna see more of those fancy tech startups making their way into Whitehall 
? Only time will tell 
...
. Don't get me wrong, training senior civil servants is super important, but have we learned nothing from the past? I mean, it's not like they didn't close down the national school of government under Cameron and stuff 
. It's like they're trying to recreate the wheel instead of just fixing what's broken 
. And what about all the external consultants who are gonna lose their jobs with the reduced spending? That's just a whole other can of worms 
...
? i mean, what makes them think it's gonna be different this time around? and btw, £2bn is a pretty big chunk of change, so if they really do manage to cut costs, that could be some good news 
. but overall, i'm skeptical about the whole thing 
personally, i think they should focus more on empowering civil servants rather than trying to overhaul them from scratch 
anyone got any tips on how to get those £2bn savings without breaking the bank? 
Maybe this is the push they need to finally sort out some of the inefficiencies in government? 
. also, if it saves £2bn annually by 2030, where's the money going in the first place? 
At least they're aiming for savings, that's a step in the right direction...but 2 billion quid is still a lot of money 
They gotta keep the system fresh, you know? Can't have people stuck in the same old ways thinking they're doing their job just right. AI's gonna change everything, and we need folks who can adapt. Plus, with this school of gov, they might actually get some decent training in place instead of just winging it. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some horror stories about Whitehall, but if this is the start of something new... 
just had a look at the stats on gov.uk website and it says there's been a 30% increase in civil servant complaints about workload over the past year 
guess that's why they're revamping the training program 
The new "school of government" is like a reboot for Whitehall - they're trying to level up their skills and keep up with the times 
. And with the government spending less on consultants, they're basically saying "good riddance" to those pesky experts 
... it's not gonna happen overnight 
. but hey, at least they're trying, i guess?