The UK government is set to establish a new 'school of government' to provide senior civil servants with training in artificial intelligence and other key skills, more than a decade after the previous institution was closed by David Cameron. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones will announce the initiative in a speech on Tuesday, outlining plans to 'rewire' the civil service for modern challenges.
The school will offer courses in economics, finance, policy, leadership, management, commercial skills, AI, data, digital, programme and project management, and delivery. It is scheduled to launch later this year and will reach full capacity over the next three years. Jones emphasised the importance of bringing high-quality training in-house to build a world-class professional civil service and support the expansion of AI in the public sector.
The move comes after the closure of the National School of Government at Sunningdale under Cameron, which has been widely regarded as a mistake. Its predecessor, the Civil Service College, was shut in 1995. The new school aims to reduce reliance on expensive external providers and align with government plans to halve spending on external consultants and cut departmental administration costs by 16% over five years, saving £2 billion annually by 2030.
Jones also hinted at increased performance-related pay and stricter standards for civil servants, stating that more could be 'shown the door' if they fail to meet expectations. The announcement follows criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said too many in Whitehall were content with a 'tepid bath of managed decline', and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who blamed an 'excuses culture' for slow progress.
