The civil service's human resources (CSHR) profession has agreed a 10-year partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, which will include identifying skills gaps among the 4,000-strong HR function.
Staff will get access to a new range of training and accreditation opportunities under the agreement with the professional body, which will also create a common framework that defines HR capabilities and skills, underpins CSHR career paths and provides a picture of overall skills.
A memorandum of understanding signed between the civil service’s recruitment and training wing and the CIPD will provide CSHR staff with relevant CIPD qualifications and professional accreditation. It also aims to “integrate or link” the CIPD’s services to those provided by CSHR and Civil Service Learning.
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The CIPD said the partnership came at a “crucial time” because of the “inevitable changes taking place” in the civil service following June’s referendum vote for the UK to leave the European Union.
The civil service's chief people officer Rupert McNeil said he expected the partnership give CSHR staff a framework to drive their professional development and demonstrate their competencies.
"Civil Service HR delivers pioneering work in an incredibly complex set of organisations, supporting over 400,000 professionals across the UK and abroad every day,” he said.
“Our arrangement with the CIPD will provide our HR professionals with the support, training, resources and qualifications they need to succeed and develop their own careers and strengthen our commitment to building a strong, high performing civil service that delivers high quality services for the public."
CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese said the civil service was undergoing a lot of change, and that its HR professionals needed the confidence, capabilities, and experience to do their jobs and support the wide range of departments and entities as well as the large and diverse workforce.
“We share the vision of building a strong, confident, and professional HR function playing its part in the development of the civil service for the future,” he said.
In addition to the accreditation and skills opportunities, the agreement also specifies the creation of joint events and networks to “build a strong, professional community” across the civil service.