Course prospectus

The Government School of Design builds design literacy across the UK's Civil Service.

It provides accredited learning that helps officials design policies and services that deliver measurable public value.

Our mission is to make design a core capability of modern government.

Design is the essential underpinning of successful delivery in government. It connects policy intent to operational reality and is central to modern digital ways of working.

Our learning offer

The school offers three programmes designed to serve every civil servant and every department:

1. Design for everyone – short, practical courses for any official who designs or delivers public policy or services.
2. Design for leaders – for Senior Civil Servants who need to lead design work and sponsor innovation.
3. Design for experts – for existing or aspiring design professionals - and those who work in design-centred teams - who are seeking accreditation and chartered status.

Design for everyone

Our Design for Everyone programme provides immersive, hands-on learning for officials who want to understand how design can improve outcomes. Courses are open to all grades and professions.

Policy-to-Delivery Course (5 days)

Civil Service’s first multidisciplinary training course. Based on research by Policy Profession and Digital and Data Profession and Operational Delivery Profession, this course was piloted with DfE and DWP, it has already taught over 300 graduates. As far as we know, it is the highest-rated course in government training.

Learning outcomes

• Understand how to connect policy intent, user insight, and operational delivery.
• Apply design tools to test ideas and de-risk implementation.
• Build multidisciplinary networks across policy, digital, and operational delivery professions.
• Translate evidence into better decisions and measurable public value.

Course impact

As piloted at DWP and DfE, the course demonstrates the value of applied design for government. Participants praise its relevance and delivery:

“The most engaging and insightful training course I've ever attended that leaves you with a practical toolkit to effectively deliver public value.”

“Go on this course to understand more about how to do better for the people we serve.”

Introduction to Public Design (1 day)

An accessible, hands-on introduction to the mindset and methods of public design. Discover how design connects policy intent, user insight, and operational delivery to create public value.

What you’ll learn

You’ll leave able to:

• Explain what public design is, why it matters, and how it fits within government.
• See how design shapes real policies and services and where it adds the most value.
• Understand the public design process and how to collaborate across disciplines.
• Explore the seven universal public design practices and connect with active communities of practice.
• Spot where your organisation’s design capability is strong or still developing.
• Build confidence to talk about design and champion its use in your team.

How you’ll learn

One-day immersive workshop blending short talks, collaborative activities, and group reflection. You’ll map how design connects to your work and join a live community of practice.

Public Design Hackathon (1 day)

A one-day design sprint where teams solve a live departmental challenge. Experience the full design cycle and learn by doing.

What you’ll learn

You’ll leave able to:

• Frame complex public problems using evidence, insight, and systems thinking.
• Apply the seven universal public design practices to create and test new ideas.
• Prototype and iterate solutions rapidly with feedback from users and peers.
• Work effectively across policy, digital, and delivery disciplines.
• Communicate design findings that influence decisions and improve outcomes.
• Share your team’s outputs to strengthen design capability across government.

How you’ll learn

A high-intensity, coach-led sprint that takes you through all stages of design - understand, define, create, test, and reflect - using a real departmental brief. You’ll produce tangible prototypes and actionable insights for reuse.

Design for leaders

This two-day accelerator is designed for Senior Civil Servants who lead strategy, portfolios, or professions. It equips leaders to apply design as a strategic capability that improves decisions, governance, and delivery.

Indicative curriculum

• Lead with design intelligence: use design evidence to support strategic choices and risk management.
• Embed design into teams, governance, and performance frameworks.
• Align policy and delivery through systems mapping and foresight exercises.
• Build and communicate public value narratives that motivate change.
• Foster experimentation, learning, and ethical oversight in an AI-enabled state.

Pedagogy: immersive simulations, systems mapping labs, peer coaching, and an applied leadership challenge implemented in delegates’ departments.

Design for experts

Whether you are an experienced or new designer, the school is for all types of designers and people who work in design-centred teams across government - including policy, service, interaction, content, and graphic designers, plus policymakers, researchers and analysts, product and delivery mangers, and developers, etc. It provides a shared foundation in universal public design practices and accredited routes to professional recognition.

Each module combines classroom learning, applied work, and portfolio development.

How You’ll Learn

Training uses case studies from the public sector, taught by practising designers. Each module blends theory, simulation, and work-based projects. The school’s learning model emphasises peer learning, reflection, and iterative practice - combining 50% classroom teaching with 50% independent applied work.

Assessment and Portfolio

Each module results in a portfolio piece that evidences design skills in action. All assessments are verified by the Chartered Society of Designers. Students receive:

• a certificate of achievement for each completed module
• a L4 or L6 professional qualification on completion of all modules
• the right to use post-nominal title to indicate your chartered status
• and build a professional portfolio recognised across government.

Universal public design practice modules

Seven core modules form the foundation of public design. Each is four days long (two consecutive classroom days, two work-based days for an independent project over the following weeks) and can be taken individually or as a complete pathway.

1. Understand the Problem – connect lived experience to systems.
2. Make Sense of Evidence – integrate diverse insights into coherent understanding.
3. Communicate Insights and Ideas – visualise and articulate evidence clearly.
4. Create Options for Change – generate and shape new possibilities.
5. Prototype, Test, Learn, and Adapt – experiment and iterate safely.
6. Engage People to Produce Better Policies and Services – design with and for users.
7. Share and Reuse What Works – codify and scale proven solutions.

Specialist skills pathway

For designers who wish to deepen expertise, the school maintains a curriculum offer for specialist practices. Training for these will be delivered by partner design institutions and will become available progressively during 2026–27.

• • Policy Design: Designing government policies that are testable, fair, and adaptive.

• • Service Design: Creating joined-up, user-centred public services across channels and providers.

• • Interaction Design: Crafting intuitive, accessible digital and physical interactions.

• • Content Design: Writing and structuring information so citizens can understand and act.

• • Graphic Design: Producing clear visual materials that communicate public information effectively.

• • Operational Delivery Design: Designing operation services in physical public spaces.

• • Green Design: Design of public policies and services thar are sustainable for the planet.

Chartering experienced designers

Experienced designers with 3+ years of experience who already meet professional standards can apply directly for chartered status with the support of the school and the Chartered Society of Designers. The royal charter permits designers to use a post-nominal title to indicate your chartered status (e.g. ‘Joe Bloggs, Chartered Designer’) and that you work at the highest professional standard. The school also supports Civil Service departments with ongoing CPD for their staff.

Teaching timetable and venues

Initially timetables and venues will be determined by student demand:

• • courses will be taught in Civil Service's buildings either in the North of England (Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield) or South of England (London)

• • courses will be timetabled when the the class is full.

As the student demand becomes more predictable, the school will move to an off-the-shelf model.

How to book

Discounted rates for 2026/27 are available when booking in-bulk by 31^st March 2026 (payment due from 1^st April 2026).

From April 2026, bookings will also be available via Civil Service Learning and Government Campus on an individual basis.

Book your course here.

The vocational training provided by the school is VAT exempt.

Contact

For enquiries about courses, bookings partnerships, or custom departmental programmes, contact:

Andrew Knight, Head of Government School of Design at andrew.knight@policyprofession.gov.uk