My Department is committed to supporting the development of all its staff in line with our HR Strategy and the wider People Strategy for the civil service, and looks for opportunities to support and invest in its people. The provision of training and development programmes has been identified as a key strategic action to enable the civil service to meet its strategic people priorities, namely: be an employer of choice, build the workforce of the future, and build support and value people developers.
It is important to note that the Department does not go to the market to procure development supports in all cases. Specific individual development needs are identified on an ongoing basis through performance management. Small scale individual needs can be met by a range of providers on a one-off basis. The Common Purpose Meridian Programme was identified as an offering in this regard, in providing an environment for senior leaders to engage with other learners from across the public, private and NGO sectors to develop key change management and leadership development skillsets.