The Analysis Function’s Emma Lake is part of the planning team for the second Analysis in Government Awards. Emma took some time out of her busy schedule to give us an overview of these exciting awards and draws comparisons with one of her favourite shows, the Great British Bake Off (GBBO):

In our house the GBBO, as well as being a sign of the changing seasons, brings my family together to watch and inspires us to bake new things. The show always involves a diverse group of passionate bakers with varying experience who are faced with a range of challenges to test their baking skills.

It’s a huge success to get selected for the show and great fun to watch the contestants compete to achieve the weekly star baker award and ultimately try to predict who will be the winner of GBBO. The technical challenge is always tricky and involves bakers being provided with limited instructions to bake a specific product. The challenge requires bakers to be innovative, using their existing knowledge and skills to produce a final product which is then judged against a range of criteria.

This technical challenge draws immediate comparisons for me with the challenges faced by analysts, especially when asked to generate and share analysis which will help inform decision making and monitor the delivery of the government’s priorities.

Personally, I have learnt a lot from GBBO including the impact of under-proving and how to avoid a soggy bottom! I see the Analysis in Government awards as a fantastic opportunity to inspire others across the Analysis Function community; sharing the learning from technical challenges, coming together and celebrating showstoppers and to elevate the signature work of analysts across our diverse and talented community.

That said, one difference with the Analysis in Government awards is you can influence the selection process. Our challenge for you is to consider all the showstoppers and signature work across analytical professions and to submit nominations for one of the six award categories.

Who do you think has the right ingredients? Who should be celebrated as star analysts and to ultimately become celebrities in the analytical world?

Nominations for the six separate awards: Collaboration, Innovative Methods, Communication, Impact, Inclusion and The Sir Ian Diamond excellence award, can be submitted between 4 October and 12 November 2021. You can find out more about each category including some tips on how to write a winning entry on our Analysis Government Awards 2021 launch article.

It’s easy to nominate a team or individual for one of the awards so submit your Analysis in Government Awards nomination now and join us in December 2021 for the awards ceremony to see who will be crowned each award.

Keep up to date with all the latest news and information by following @gov_analysis on Twitter, email to subscribe to our exclusive monthly Newsletter at Analysis.Function@ons.gov.uk and check out the latest news, and booking information on the AF GOV.UK web pages.

Please do take the opportunity to get nominate colleagues across the community which will help to inspire our aspiring analysts and to build the capability of the Analysis Function.

• The scheme will better protect more than 170 homes and businesses to a Storm Desmond level and has been in operation since December 2020
• A further 1100 business properties will benefit from the scheme as a result of reduced flooding to surrounding roads and infrastructure
• Lancaster flooded during Storm Desmond on 5 and 6 December 2015, when river levels exceeded the design level of the existing defences, resulting in the extensive flooding of the city.

A major flood risk management scheme on the River Lune, designed to protect hundreds of properties from the risk of flooding, has launched today.

Covering the Caton Road and Aldrens Lane area, the new scheme reduces flood risk to more than 170 homes and businesses at a cost of £12.1 million pounds – substantially increasing protection from the previous defences.

In partnership with the Environment Agency, Lancaster City Council have built new and improved existing flood walls and is making significant improvements to surface water flooding in the area.

Work during the scheme also improved and fully resurfaced the Millennium cycle path and the project has planted 3000 trees in the city to date. 5000 trees will planted in total when work on the surface water flood mitigation is completed. This equates to 5 new trees for every one lost during the construction phase.

Play and recreation facilities have also been improved, including new park benches and entrance features. Additionally, thrill seekers can soon make use of a new climbing wall utilising 8 of the pre-cast flood walls not used during construction.

The project team secured £3.85M in European Regional Development Funding as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 towards the scheme and all of this funding has now been claimed. This means that the defences have been delivered around 2 years earlier as a result.

To mark the official launch of the fluvial flood defences, Lancaster City Council and the Environment Agency hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony and presentation next to the River Lune flood gate close to the Holiday Inn on the 1st October 2021.

Councillor Caroline Jackson, leader of Lancaster City Council, said:

“The 2015 floods that followed Storm Desmond caused devastation to businesses along Caton Road. Many said they would not be able to survive another catastrophic flood and would rather relocate than run the risk, so it was vital for our economy that we improved the defences along this stretch of the Lune.

“A number of homes will also be better protected and the scheme has brought other benefits such as the resurfacing of the cycle track and planting of new trees. I’d like to pay tribute to the huge amount of work that has been undertaken by officers in the city council, in partnership with the Environment Agency, construction partners, a number of local businesses, and our communities in delivering this vitally important project.”

Andy Brown, Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Lancashire, said:

“The communities of Lancaster have seen first-hand how devastating flooding can be. That’s why I’m so pleased to see the launch of the fluvial flood defences of this vital scheme.

“This new £12.1 million investment will better protect homes and businesses in Lancaster, and is an example of how we work with partners to make communities more resilient to the escalating impacts of the climate emergency.

“The Caton Road and Aldrens Lane communities will have a substantially higher standard of protection, and whilst we can never guarantee that there will never be future flooding, we hope that this scheme will bring peace of mind to residents. We look forward to completing the surface water mitigation in the coming months.”

What work has been undertaken:

• £3.85M of European Regional Development Funding has been achieved as part of the funding package. The Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit .
• Work has included the construction of new flood walls and embankments to directly better protect over 170 homes and businesses and benefit over 1100 businesses through reduced flooding to infrastructure such as bridges and roads.
• 2.8km of new walls and embankments have been constructed along the left and right banks of the River Lune.
• The project is currently assessing the required surface water mitigation upstream of Caton Road and around the M6 and new Bay Gateway Junction.

Future investment

• Homes and businesses in Cumbria and Lancashire are to be better protected from flooding and coastal erosion as part of plans published by the government and Environment Agency, with £82.1m invested in more than 100 schemes in 2020/21
• The investment is part of plans outlining £5.2 billion of investment over the next six years. More than £860 million will be spent in 2021/22 boosting design and construction of more than 1,000 schemes across England as part of the Environment Agency’s annual capital programme.
• The delivery of the new schemes follows the successful delivery of the previous programme. The government invested £2.6 billion in new flood defences through this programme – surpassing its target of better protecting 300,000 homes between 2015 and 2021. The new schemes will be an important part of the implementation of the government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy Statement and the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy

Working in government is a vast topic, ranging from basic awareness through to specialist expertise – but the common themes throughout a Civil Service career will include things like managing public money, understanding the relationship with ministers and Parliament, and having a basic grasp of other professional areas and how to work with them.

Watch this video on getting things done in government

Our new induction course is designed to give new joiners a basic awareness of the Civil Service and how government works.

Opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of specific aspects of government are highlighted below. As well as formal training, look out for informal opportunities, these will add greatly to your understanding of the government context.

Here is a selection of some examples of the training available within Strand 2, to help you build your knowledge of working in government:

Effective communication – Government Communications Service

We all have a duty to ensure that ministers, senior officials and organisational leaders are briefed and informed to enable the effective operation of public services and improve people’s lives. We communicate using a variety of means on a regular basis, for example writing effective emails training provides useful tips on how to write and structure your emails.

For more information on how you can develop your communication style visit Government Communication Service.

How you contribute to the delivery of public services – Operational Delivery

Operational Delivery, sits at the heart of public service delivery, in order to create and deliver exceptional services to citizens. Whether you work directly or indirectly with individuals or businesses, ultimately we deliver for people and it is key that we develop understanding to support our citizens.  You can undertake the Operational Delivery Induction and further your knowledge and skills through a vast range of development training and opportunities to network wider within the community. For more information about how you contribute to the delivery of public service visit the Operational Delivery profession GOV.UK page.

Gaining basic Data, Digital and Technology skills (DDaT)

The DDaT profession has published the DDaT Essentials which are vital skills for senior civil servants to keep pace with digital, data and technology developments and help government provide better services for users. The following courses will support upskilling in these vital areas.

Data

• Data visualisation 101 provides good data visualisation techniques to reduce complex evidence to its core, allowing stakeholders to understand what matters. The techniques in this training will provide individuals with the techniques to produce reports that better support the needs of busy decision-makers.
• Data quality will support individuals who regularly or occasionally use data for reporting purposes. This e-learning helps individuals to consider data quality issues and equips them to have more effective discussions with data specialists.
• Data and analysis provide individuals with the skills to analyse and use open data and traditional sources of data to be able to communicate what the data tells you. Here the topic covers the risk that arise from data use as well as the issues around privacy such as data sharing and matching.

Digital

Technology

Introducing the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) in government will give you the basics of AI and its use in government. You will be able to describe AI in terms of machine learning and natural language processing as well as explain the role of algorithms in AI and most importantly discuss the importance of ethics and transparency in using AI

The GDS academy has a host of courses for all civil servants you can also email gds.academy@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk for more information.

Gaining analysis skills

We don’t all need to be experts in analysis but we need to know how to ask the right questions, interrogate the information we are receiving or seeing and use this insight and evidence to provide us with knowledge and better understanding. To find out more about the Analysis Function and the opportunities available to develop your skills, you can;

Being commercially aware

The Government Commercial Function is a cross-government network procuring or supporting the procurement of goods and services for the government. Using the interactive materials available on the Civil Service Learning website you can watch a short animation, test yourself and develop your commercial capabilities to ensure that the decisions you are making can help drive value and growth. Find out more about the Government Commercial Function.

Being a consultant in government – The Government Consulting Hub

Have you ever wondered how the government delivers consultancy work internally and what skills are needed? The Government Consulting Hub (GCH), based in the Cabinet Office is a cross government team providing a centre of expertise on consultancy. One of their aims is to build longer term capability in consulting skills and provide a range of training offers and programmes across all grades and levels of government. Future offers will provide opportunities to get experience in consulting projects to apply and reinforce skills learnt. For further information please get in touch: gch-skills@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Contract management for non contract management professionals

It is essential that we all have skills to negotiate with, manage and monitor contracted suppliers effectively, to ensure the government and citizens receive the goods and services they pay for at the quality they expect. You can sign up for the interactive foundation level online learning here, there are 6 modules that take 1 to 3 hours.

Developing your financial knowledge – Finance for non-finance professionals

We all have a responsibility to use public money responsibly, and competent financial management is a core skill for civil servants. There are some specific rules and conventions about how certain things are handled which ensure that policies, programmes and projects run smoothly and serve the intended purposes. The Finance Foundations learning available via the Government Finance Academy will get you started in gaining a better understanding. Finance Foundations is an introduction to the 11 Finance Skills.

Additionally, you can familiarise yourself with guidance to better equip you to manage public monies:

Understanding policy

Policy is the management of the government’s role in improving the welfare, security, and prosperity of the nation to secure meaningful outcomes for citizens.  The cross-government Policy Profession Unit supports civil servants in government who deliver and design public policy.

Policy making centres around 3 main activities:

• Strategy: Understanding and solving complex issues facing society
• Democracy: Carrying out the work of government with openness and accountability
• Delivery: Implementing and continuously improving policy in partnership with others

The Policy Profession Standards set out the skills and knowledge required to meet current and future policy challenges.  They have been developed in consultation with subject matter experts from across professions, functions, and external partners. The standards outline the three policy profession levels:  developing, practitioner and expert.

Policy profession learning

Policy profession learning comes from a range of sources, including departments, other professions, outside of government and centrally designed and delivered learning. Learning is mapped against each of the 3 levels with the majority being designed and delivered by an active community of practice. The central policy profession learning offer focuses on core learning, accredited learning and learning from each other.

• Developing (Level 1): Departments offer domain specific induction to those new to the profession whilst the Introduction to policy course is available for all as e-learning. Knowledge Series events provide a series of key foundational learning opportunities at this level from understanding your stakeholders to leadership skills. Level 4 policy apprenticeships are available for those wanting high quality structured learning interweaved with practical experience.
• Practitioner (Level 2): The King’s postgraduate programme offers an exciting way to improve your capability in professional policy making skills as a mid-career policy professional. It includes modular courses on a vast array of topics from Empathy and emotions in policy making through to data analytics in policymaking. The Policy Profession also provides a series of practitioner-led Knowledge Series events at level 2, as well as a range of mentoring opportunities with other professions, academic and other public policy partners.  In addition, many departments offer domain specific “Policy Schools” at mid-career level.
• Expert (Level 3) : The Executive Masters of Public Policy (EMPP), provided by London School of Economics, is our flagship co-designed and co-delivered executive programme. We also provide a series of senior practitioner led learning through our Knowledge Series events (including the “Leaders Teaching Leaders” programme) and promote fellowships with external partners (academic and learned societies in particular) and various events (such as the 4 Nations events).

If you are interested in learning more about the Profession and what it has to offer, visit the Policy Profession website. You will need to register with a government email address. Alternatively you can visit the Policy Profession Pages on GOV.UK and email enquiries.mailbox@policyprofession.gov.uk to sign up for news and events.

Understanding Parliament

Regardless of your role, the work that we all do as Civil Servants is scrutinised by the UK Parliament on an ongoing basis. All departments, their ministers, and the services they provide are examined through questions, debates, and scrutiny committees. This scrutiny covers ideas for new policies and laws, through to the daily experiences of the public when accessing services.

Understanding Parliament is essential for all civil servants in order to support ministers, ensure our work is effectively communicated to the public, and develop new services that meet the needs of the public.

Find out more about Parliament through the range of training courses available on the Civil Service Learning site, and through your department’s Parliamentary Branch.

Devolution and you

Do you know how devolution impacts the policies you work on or the public service that you manage? Find out more on the devolution page about how gaining a greater understanding of devolution will help you deliver more effectively for citizens across the UK using a range of learning tools available to you. Find out more by emailing devolution@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Understanding the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code governs how all civil servants must conduct themselves. Developing an understanding of the Code is a key part of induction training for new civil servants, and other tailored training is available to civil servants as required. The Civil Service Code is available online at the following link: Understanding the Civil Service

Advising, briefing and drafting

We all have a duty to ensure that ministers, senior officials and organisational leaders are briefed and informed in a concise manner. It is crucial that your writing is accurate, brief and clear and the information you provide is prepared in the correct way.

Navigate legal processes – Government Legal Department (GLD)

You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand the legislation that affects how we work across government. Gaining a basic understanding of legal principles is available at your fingertips through the GLD- legal platform.

Induction is a crucial moment. The quality of your induction influences how you feel about your new organisation. It provides the foundation for performance on the job, but also for future success in navigating the wider organisation and shaping careers.

The responsibility for induction in government sits with departments and agencies, their directorates and business groups, with teams and with line managers. But being inducted to the Civil Service – understanding that you’re joining a national organisation of hundreds of thousands of people with a unique relationship to citizens, Parliament and ministers – is something that isn’t unique to one department so needs to be readily available to all new civil servants.

Explore the induction pilot

The Government Skills and Curriculum Unit (GSCU) is piloting a new online course to help new joiners to grasp what it means to be a civil servant. During summer 2021 it has been piloted with over a thousand staff from 30 departments and agencies.

Initial feedback has shown a sharp rise in confidence levels in key areas of knowledge such as the rights and obligations of civil servants, the benefits of being a civil servant, and understanding the wider structures of government.

“I thought this course was an excellent introduction to the Civil Service, particularly for someone like me who has never worked in the CS before. There are definitely some parts that I will go back to in the future and I have saved some of the articles for future reading.”

“I found this course really helpful and informative, and the quizzes at the end of each section were a great way to consolidate my understanding. I feel that I have learnt a lot more about how parliament, the government and Civil Service all work together. This will be a useful resource to come back to once I have started my role.”

Participants have really appreciated having a flexible online course which is highly accessible, broken down into bite-sized chunks, and in which you can learn from your fellow civil servants.

“Loved the variation of content presentation! I feel much more connected with the current Civil Service and I’m more excited than ever to begin.”

Register for the next induction pilot

To take part in the next induction pilot email the induction team from your government email address. We’ll then let you know when the next pilot is open for registration.

We hope to make the new induction course available more widely from early 2022: sign up to Campus News to make sure you get the updates!

With 6 local education sector institutions receiving a Silver Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Award, and one achieving the prestigious Gold Award in 2020, the East Midlands is demonstrating how education and defence can achieve powerful results through working together.

In April 2019, the then Universities Minister and Defence Minister called for all UK universities to step up and support ex-service personnel and their families. The participation rate for young people from military service families in the higher education sector is just 24%, compared to the rate for the whole population of around 43%.

East Midlands’ universities have led by example, with Bishop Grosseteste and Nottingham Trent University both earning Silver Awards in 2020, and the University of Leicester achieving the highest accolade, the Gold Award. But throughout the education sector, colleges and schools are also seeing the benefits of supporting the Armed Forces, in terms of recruitment, involvement with the community and the level of training and skills ex-military people and their families bring.

Bishop Grosseteste University, in Lincoln, is in the heart of RAF country and therefore has a high awareness of the challenges of a military career and its effects on the family. Frequent moves, absence on deployment of serving personnel and managing home life can mean military spouses have little career stability. But it also means they have exceptional organisational skills, are flexible, and used to adapting to new situations quickly. Bishop Grosseteste has recognised this by offering an uncapped leave scheme and flexible working, which have aided staff retention.

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) ensures its wider recruitment team are aware of the relevance of military skills to the civilian work environment. Moreover, they have committed to changing and adapting recruitment and work environments to lower barriers for those who are considered disabled, which includes wounded, injured and sick service leavers. The work of its Medical Technologies Innovation Facility is helping to develop rehabilitative technologies and cell-based therapies, which will be of particular relevance to the wounded and injured veterans of the armed forces.

Enabling wider participation in higher education

Max Bardwell, Senior Business Development Manager at Nottingham Trent University‘s Medical Technologies Innovation Facility, and former Reservist, said:

The Armed Forces Covenant is fundamentally about enabling wider participation in higher education and higher education employment; by lowering barriers for those who might otherwise find it prohibitively difficult to engage. This speaks to the core of NTU’s mission and is therefore why we are pleased with being able to sign up to the Covenant.

The Air and Defence College run by Lincoln College offers a unique, employer-led, career-focused education and technical training course for 16 to 19 year-olds. It also ensures students benefit from the leadership and expertise of the armed forces by supporting service leavers to retrain as Further Education (FE) Teachers and make the transition to the classroom where they can share their expertise with the next generation.

But it’s not just higher education that sees the benefit in working with the armed forces community, even primary schools have created new programmes. William Alvey School in Lincolnshire has over 50 children in its ‘Bluey Club’, a service set up to address the emotional and social well-being of forces children. Offering a safe environment in which to discuss feelings and experiences, their work is done through group activities, discussions and one to one support.

These leading educational establishments have demonstrated, through a myriad of practical policies, creative thinking and championing inclusivity, the benefits to be gained from engaging with defence personnel. Whether veterans, reservists, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers or the families of serving armed forces personnel, there is a wealth of talent and experience to be harnessed. And that talent needs the support of the education sector to enable it to flourish and thrive.