The Civil Service is going through a great deal of change, all designed to focus resources on front-line services. The Gershon Review of public sector efficiency and the Lyons Review of public sector relocation are part of this. PSG is another part. It identifies the skills civil servants need in order to design and deliver customer-driven services, gives individuals the opportunities to gain those skills, and creates a more systematic and consistent approach to skills and career development.
General information on PSG may be found on the relevant section of the Cabinet Office website. For convenience, a brief summary of the main points is provided below. Key documents may be downloaded from the Related Documents section on the right.
Brief Summary
The skills required as part of PSG are split into four categories, some of which are only applicable to members, or aspiring members, of the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The categories are:
1. Leadership
2. Core Skills, which comprise:
a. Analysis and Use of Evidence
b. People Management
c. Financial Management
d. Programme and Project Management
e. Strategic Thinking (SCS Only)
f. Communications and Marketing (SCS Only)
3. Professional Expertise
4. Broader Experience (SCS Only)
The PSG framework includes three career gateways, which occur at Grade 7 (or equivalent), SCS Pay Band 1 and SCS Pay Band 3.
The specifics of the "Professional Expertise" part of this structure are dependent on an individual's profession. "Scientist / Engineer" is one of a growing number of PSG professions, which also include Statistician, Economist, Finance Professional, IT Professional, Social Researcher and Veterinary Surgeon.
The "Broader Experience" part of the structure relies on three career groupings, which are "Corporate Service Delivery", "Operational Delivery" and "Policy Delivery". In particular, to satisfy the requirement for Broader Experience individuals are expected to demonstrate their previous positions have included real responsibility in at least two of these career groupings.
Scientist / Engineer Profession
The skills required by scientists and engineers are described in the Skills Framework.
Suggestions on how these skills can be acquired and demonstrated are provided in the associated Learning and Development document.
A set of FAQs that have particular relevance to scientists and engineers is also available.
