Accredited learning programmes across the policy profession

2026-11-03

The Civil Service Policy Profession consists of around 38,500 civil servants making it the second largest profession in government. It has a presence across the regions and nations of the UK. The work of policy professionals has a profound impact on the lives of people across the country. Upskilling policy makers will mean they develop better policies that will deliver better outcomes for the public. The Policy Profession Unit, which is part of the Department for Education but works on behalf of policy professionals across government, has responsibility for overseeing the development of the Policy Profession. This includes building the skills and capability of individual policy makers at different stages of their careers. We are seeking to partner with higher education institution(s) to develop and deliver, from September 2027, accredited programme(s) at postgraduate level that build the skills and capabilities of UK civil servants in line with the Policy Profession Standards. Please note, this notice is not being used to signify the commencement of any competitive process and does not constitute any commitment by the Department for Education. The Department for Education will hold this contract, however the programme(s) must be accessible to all civil service departments. Funding estimates included within this notice are based off of historic student volumes and spending. Actual contract value will be determined by actual student volumes that will be funded by individual departments. The Department makes no commitment at this stage to the final funding envelope for contractual activity. Please see the recording of the early market engagement event here: https://youtu.be/Buv5dtEd2_4

United Kingdom (UK)

2026-04-02