The Certificate will run over a period of about 6 months. As well as the modules, trainees will be set assessments during the 6 months which they must pass to successfully complete the course.

There will be one main Submission assessment, set at the 4th module. Delegates have until the 5th module to complete this piece of work.

This website will be a valuable tool for all the delegates as they progress through this 6 month course. It contains all the background reading, assessments, downloads and module information needed for successful completion of the course.

To aid delegates, they will each be issued with an Mp3 player with background notes, pre-read material, course summaries and additional material like political speeches uploaded onto it. For more information please visit the ‘Mp3’ section of this site.

Topics to be covered in the course include:

• How to write a Ministerial Submission/Briefing
• Written/Oral Communication Skills
• The Structure and Function of Government Departments
• Value of Plain English
• How Parliament Works & its Interaction with the Civil Service
• Civil Service Code of Practice
• European Legislation
• Freedom of Information
• Data Protection
• Core Financial Skills
• Thinking Strategically
• History and future of the Civil Service (ethical principles/constraints, Professional Skills for Government)