Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
The Cabinet Office told us that the challenge of EU exit and EU transition, alongside...
Conclusion
The Cabinet Office told us that the challenge of EU exit and EU transition, alongside the concurrent risk of the covid-19 pandemic, has sharpened its thinking about skills and has improved the effectiveness of strategic workforce planning across the civil service. The current situation has forced the Cabinet Office to introduce new ways of working, such as cross-civil service campaigns and hubs to move people between departments, and to explore more innovative ways of managing staffing needs.26 Alongside this the Cabinet Office said it had been building capacity and skills within the HR function to carry out better strategic workforce planning. It has drawn on examples from other organisations that already do this well, such as the military and the Metropolitan Police.27 Creating plans to help maximise impact
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
1.2 The Cabinet Office is committed to working with functions and departments to identify and address skills gaps and, as set out by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster during his Ditchley lecture on 27 June 2020, this will form a key part of Civil Service modernisation and reform. The government established the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit in September 2020 to ensure entry routes to the Civil Service are rigorous; induction is mandatory and high quality; and that technical skills, knowledge and ‘tradecraft’ are defined, assured, and accessible. 1.3 In addition, by May 2021, the Cabinet Office will enhance strategic workforce planning across the Civil Service, with action already underway to improve the annual workforce projections exercise. This will improve our understanding of key skills and capability gaps, including those that drive the use of consultants and contingent labour, and departments’ plans for addressing them. Outputs from this work will also inform Civil Service modernisation and reform, specifically: - Places for Growth, which will provide opportunities to recruit staff with new skills and capabilities outside London and the South East; and - The aforementioned Government Skills and Curriculum Unit. 16 1.4 Improvements to functional workforce planning are underway. The Digital function has successfully led a central workforce data collection exercise and provided strategic support across departments, and the Commercial Blueprint captures a breadth of workforce data including types of roles, grades, accreditation level, location, and pipeline of roles forecast 2-3 years ahead. In the Project Delivery function, although strategic workforce planning has been department-led, cross-departmental demand planning continues to align with recruitment campaigns.