Government Policy Profession

The Policy Profession consists of around 38,500 policy professionals from across the UK Civil Service[1] who develop and deliver public policy for ministers and citizens. There are also civil servants from a wide range of professions (including economists, lawyers, finance) who engage in the policy making process and identify as policy makers in addition to their primary profession. Policy professionals may often specialise in a specific policy domain, such as environment or foreign policy.

Policy professionals’ work centres around three activities - developing and improving government strategies, supporting democratic governance and overseeing delivery. These activities are outlined by the three pillars of the Policy Profession Standards.

The Policy Profession has developed a wide-ranging offer to support policy professionals’ learning and development in line with the Policy Profession Standards, including:

To find out more about the profession and our learning offer please visit the Policy Profession website.

[1] Civil Service Statistics. Data correct as of 31 March 2024. This figure includes additional data provided by Scottish Government on the number of policy professionals in Scottish Government and SG agencies. This does not include policy professionals in the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

All training must be booked by 31 January 2027 and completed by 31 October 2027. Training of 12 months duration or less is available to book now on the Booking Portal. Training that is longer than 12 months may be available on a case-by-case basis, provided it is complete by 31 October 2027. Find out more about affected courses.