Civil servants who are part of the property profession – and those who are keen to join it – will soon have access to the Government School of Property to bring together an array of learning and development options in a single location.
Chief property officer Janet Young said the School of Property, which is set to launch next week, will be a a “flagship development offer” that will help professionals decide which career choices are right for them during a period of rapid change.
“The Government School of Property brings together all of the existing government property profession learning options into one place, so you can easily find the right development option for you,” she said.
In a blog announcing the school’s creation, Young – who is also interim director general for government property at the Cabinet Office – said the School of Property was born out of a recognition of the need to build capacity to respond to government’s fast-changing needs.
“We have to make sure our people are well-placed to deliver the transformation we will need to manage and run a modern public estate,” she said.
“This means understanding whole-life asset management and making every property decision with sustainability considerations front and centre. It also means a relentless focus on asset management strategy and releasing property that is no longer needed.”
Young added that property professionals also need to understand the extent to which unwanted government property and land can kickstart local economic growth or lead to the delivery of new homes. She said such leverage opportunities are particularly important in light of the nation’s need for a post-pandemic economic bounce back.
The Government School of Property will be part of the Government Campus and will offer four core learning products. They are: events and training designed exclusively for members of the government property function; support to find the right external accreditation route for a particular career path; leadership development; and signposting on the learning and development offered by Civil Service Learning and professional bodies such as the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Government property professionals – including engineers, surveyors, asset managers, and facilities managers – make daily decisions about elements of the government’s 300,000-building property portfolio that had a potentially huge impact on citizens, Young said.
The government’s property holdings range from historic departmental buildings to hospitals, art galleries, nuclear power plants, embassies, jobcentres, and modern hubs.
A launch event for the Government School of Property is due to take place on 1 September.