Supplying Professional Skills for Government
The OU has a close working relationship with several government departments including UKTI and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and we are used to working within the Professional Skills for Government framework. We are nominated suppliers of government learning and development in several categories of the public service procurement structure, Government Procurement Services
Consequently, the OU is well placed to close the identified gap between the skills needed in central government and the skills available within the workforce. Due to our distance learning approach and understanding of cultural diversity, OU government learning and development suits a sector in which a quarter of employees have recognised relevant professional qualifications, one fifth work part-time and a significant percentage come from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Management development and professional skills
The OU can equip your sector with a range of skills that will enhance the management development and professionalism of your staff. Our management development qualifications are explained in Professional Courses, these include a very relevant new qualification, the Certificate in Public Services Delivery.
To develop more specific skills as part of government learning and development, there is a range of much shorter online courses designed for staff who need or want to update their work skills without committing to long term study. Find out more about these flexible courses in Professional Skills.
We also offer short and introductory Openings courses in a range of subjects. Find out more on our Openings Courses page.
Custom solutions
If your organisation would benefit from training customised to its own circumstances, challenges and context, click Custom Solutions
Buying Solutions
The Government Procurement Service is designed to make the purchasing of learning, development and e-learning solutions more simple and tailors these to public sector needs. Public sector customers are also offered the best value for money from the ´best of breed´ suppliers, accredited under the framework. The Open University is the only Higher Education Institution that supplies solutions under the Social Awareness, Vocational Training, Bespoke eLearning and Generic eLearning categories.