The challenge

How can we better understand the lived experiences of civil servant learners and those who support their learning to identify effective drivers and enablers of skills development?

Government Campus’ current work is informed largely by feedback from senior leaders and senior capability practitioners in departments. Apart from the People Survey data, not enough is known about the needs and ambitions of learners, or the role that line managers and local learning and development leads play in enabling their skills development.

In Spring 2024, Government Campus partnered with Policy Lab to address the knowledge gaps around the needs and ambitions of individual learners. The project focused on exploring how Civil Service (CS) learning and development (L&D) is experienced by civil servants in their day-to-day lives and in the context of their broader career journeys.

Spotlighting diverse learners’ journeys

The research focused on unpacking the individual learning and progression journeys of Civil Service learners. We used ‘sensory ethnography’ to gain rich and nuanced insights into how civil servants interact with the current L&D offerings and explore the factors influencing their individual journeys through the skills system.

The research highlighted the commonalities and differences of learners’ journeys. Differences in individual experiences occur at various points: from personal motivators for engaging with L&D opportunities, to access routes, interactions with the learning offerings, and the direct and indirect impact on individuals’ day-to-day jobs and career trajectories. The diverse experiences are also shaped by specific individual circumstances, and the changing reality of hybrid and remote working.

The research highlighted that while the current system benefits some, it appears to create barriers for others. Some learners benefit from a ‘cascading opportunities’ phenomenon, where successfully completing one L&D activity opens up numerous further opportunities, accelerating their skills development and career progression. Conversely, some learners experience a ‘layering of barriers,’ where various internal and external factors hinder their successful progression through the system.

Reflections

Participants’ insights, collected through this research, raised questions for those making decisions about the future L&D landscape. Some key questions include:

• How can the system enable participants to access the right L&D opportunities at the right time?

Participants reported that they often struggled to identify and access the type of L&D that they needed.

• How can the system make individual journeys feel more tailored and integrated?

Participants often reported a lack of a comprehensive understanding of how various L&D activities contribute to their overall skills development.

• How can the system empower learners and leverage line managers to be enablers and not barriers of L&D?

Line managers are often seen as obstacles in the L&D process, whilst decision making by gatekeepers sometimes negatively affect participants’ learning journeys.

• How can the wider system mitigate external pressures that influence participants’ interaction with, and experience of, L&D?

Health issues, caring responsibilities and mental health struggles were listed amongst external factors that can hinder access to L&D and can create multiple layers of barriers for learners.

• How can the system support cascading opportunities?

Several participants showed how positive experiences of L&D can lead to further opportunities, thus supporting successful skills building and occasionally turbo- charging learners’ careers.

• How can the system respond to the shifting realities of remote working?

A number of participants, particularly those who joined the Civil Service post-pandemic, feel that experiential and social learning is not always successfully facilitated in hybrid working environments.

Key findings

This section summarises some of the key findings of this research. A detailed overview of findings is at Annexe A.

Touchpoints and accessibility

Participants felt that accessing L&D can be heavily influenced by gatekeepers, typically line managers, who can either facilitate or obstruct opportunities. Many spoke about the perceived unequal access, and felt that the current system favours certain demographics, such as specific grades or professions, thereby disadvantaging others.

It seems to be more dependent on like the support you get from the manager because I’m hearing sometimes for other departments, a lot of people are doing this training and that training and we are getting nothing, it’s just mixed. It just depends on who your manager is and whether you get the support and motivation.

Diverse motivators

Participants accessed L&D for a range of reasons. Some shared a desire to attain qualifications for career advancement, such as one participant who pursued L&D to compensate for lost time due to motherhood. Others sought to improve their current roles or were driven by intellectual curiosity and an appetite for learning. Additionally, some engaged in L&D to connect with like-minded individuals, expand their networks, or combat isolation.

Making an impact

Participants who engaged in L&D directly related to their roles felt they were able to do a better job as a result. Others with different motivations shared more personal impacts, such as improved confidence and becoming positive role models for their children. One participant cited involvement in the networks as a key reason for staying in their organisation despite challenges.

Diverse motivators

Participants accessed L&D for a range of reasons. Some shared a desire to attain qualifications for career advancement, such as one participant who pursued L&D to compensate for lost time due to motherhood. Others sought to improve their current roles or were driven by intellectual curiosity and an appetite for learning. Additionally, some engaged in L&D to connect with like-minded individuals, expand their networks, or combat isolation.

[When I joined the network] I did presentations and realised I was willing to take risks and build things other colleagues in my grade wouldn’t. I didn’t feel inadequate anymore and that my past flaws with communication because of Autism and my upbringing were weaker.

Interacting with the offer

Participants criticised the box-ticking nature of some training and expressed frustration over the varied quality and suitability of courses. Some emphasised the importance of integrating theory with applied learning, using examples, personal anecdotes, impact stories or hands-on exercises during training. Several participants highlighted the benefits of structured programmes such as week-long policy schools, pathways for progression or leadership training, and longer-term initiatives like apprenticeships and the Fast Stream, which provide curated learning experiences.

I found it better doing a weeklong course, it can feel stressful making time for L&D when you have things on in the back of your mind.

Catering for individual journeys

No L&D journey is the same, and no journey is linear. Participants’ testimonies illustrated that not only do paths vary between participants, but they also shift and change during an individual’s career journey. Many participants emphasised the importance of being seen and celebrated as individuals and having an L&D offer matching their unique career and persona.

I get to learn about different people and a bit about the Civil Service from these people. It’s also nice to just have social connections for my emotional health, especially as my department rarely came in until the mandatory office announcement…it makes my networks wider.

Shifting realities

Participants felt that the shift to more hybrid working and teams being spread across different locations has altered how information is exchanged relationally. Whilst some participants were able to shadow colleagues or speak frequently with their team, others struggled with limited in-person support and knowledge exchange. This is particularly conspicuous when it comes to navigating unwritten codes of working in the Civil Service - an experience shared particularly at the onset of life in the Civil Service but also in moments of transition. Especially in light of changing realities, many participants spoke about mental health struggles and feelings of isolation. Failings of pastoral care were experienced as extremely painful, and accessing wellbeing L&D content seemed to make a positive difference to participants’ working lives.

Mapping individual journeys: progress is not linear

Individual learning journeys are far from linear. Progress - rather than being from A to B to C - is pulled on by a complex interaction of barriers and enablers. A number of factors, both internal and external, can make it easier or harder for someone to reach the next pivotal moment in their L&D journey, be it building skillsets or progressing in their careers. You can read more about real individual journeys at Annexe B.

Through the analysis (the interpretation of the map and the map in full resolutions are available at Annexes C & D) we surfaced a ”reinforcing feedback loop”; where something occurs, and that then goes on to create a chain of events, which makes that initial thing happen more.

Cascading opportunities

Cascading opportunities refers to our finding about how engaging and completing an L&D opportunity can open-up more learning opportunities and can potentially help participants move grades. For example, completing L&D opportunities can not only hook the learners into more courses and trainings, but it also boosts self-esteem, builds networks and enhances skills which enable civil servants to fast-forward their careers.

Barrier laying

The inverse experience to cascading opportunities is barrier layering - where a person experiences either multiple barriers to accessing or undertaking L&D, or the same barrier reoccurs at multiple points in their L&D journey, thus creating a compounding hindrance to L&D which can have knock-on impacts in the learner’s career progression. For example, a learner with autism, involved in this research, experiences barriers at multiple points in their journey through the system.

This reinforcing feedback loop may widen the gap in L&D attainment between those experiencing barriers to accessing / undertaking L&D and those who do not, meaning that certain people can exact greater benefit from the L&D system, whilst others cannot. Our research found that some barriers could be addressed by interventions to the L&D system.

Mapping individual journeys: examples

Below we share two very different individual journeys. The journeys show the ups and downs of the learner experience and contrast how this looks for David - a participant able to hook into a cascade of opportunities, and Jaansi - a participant who, despite proactively seeking L&D, faced layered barriers. You can read their detailed journeys – as well as those of two other participants – at Annexe B.

David: a shaky start followed by cascading opportunity

David is a Grade 6 adviser, who joined the Civil Service from another public sector organisation. He reports initially experiencing some barriers as he has no out-of-school qualifications to progress on his desired career path. He feels that being in the Civil Service widens his aspirations. He self-funds a professional qualification, following which the continuation of it is funded by his employer. He believes that his proactive and ‘can do’ approach helps him unlock learning opportunities at his department and beyond, where he climbs grades in line with his increasing qualifications. He is organising his own L&D activities for the team and is continuously improving his skillset and progressing his career.

Every morning I’ve got 20 minutes in my diary where I’ll go through LinkedIn and I’ll read a couple of newsletters. I’ll follow a number of practitioners and interesting people. There’s loads of different subjects I look at as well.

*the names of all participants have been anonymised

Jaansi: tenacity in the face of layers of barriers

Jaansi joins the Civil Service because she believes in helping people. She is currently in a role that she believes she is overqualified for. She feels that she is facing barriers due to her gender, ethnicity, and race. She reports having an unsupportive line manager and faces severe health issues, adding more barriers. Working from home due to her health makes her feel lonely. To overcome loneliness and deal with her unsupportive manager, Jaansi joins networks. Through the networks, she learns about available L&D opportunities. She is motivated to stay intellectually stimulated and learn about other cultures. Despite her efforts in L&D and working hard, she feels that she receives neither recognition nor does she progress in her role. The impact of these layered barriers and infrequent flows in Jaansi’s journey are shown in her aspirations to move roles within the Civil Service or to leave altogether.

There is a struggle with getting recognition compared to male colleagues, even if they don’t know a subject area that well they are able to advance. I don’t know whether it’s gender … I’m also from a different ethnic minority background as well. I don’t know whether that’s it … It just depends on who your manager is and whether you get the support and motivation.

Methodology: sensory ethnography

In this project, we employed ethnography as our primary research method, drawing inspiration from anthropologist Sarah Pink’s theory of sensory ethnography. A detailed overview of methodology is at Annexe E.

Introductory interviews: Participants recruited across different grades, locations, demographics and departments generously donated their time and experience. We conducted initial interviews to gather insights into their experiences of the system and their career journeys.

Sensory ethnographic exercises: Participants were invited to complete a series of five self-paced creative exercises, aimed at engaging a variety of senses. The exercises were playful, varied and experimental, borrowing from a wide cultural pot – from ancient practices (‘khipu’) to British popular culture (‘Desert Island Discs’). This encouraged deeper reflections, seeking to uncover insights that might not be readily shared through traditional interview methods.

Elicitation interviews: The second round of interviews provided opportunity to put words to the non-verbal expressions derived from the participatory exercises. Interviews also served as a debrief session to discuss participants’ experiences and offer an opportunity to ask any questions.

Analysis

Mapping individual journeys: This stage involved a systems mapping approach to visualise the journeys of all participants. The process facilitated the analysis of pivotal moments in an L&D journey and surfaced two key systemic feedback loops: cascading opportunities and barrier layering.

Key findings: Through the combination of in-depth ethnography and systems mapping, several common themes among participants’ individual experiences and journeys were identified.

Further considerations: Key findings helped us identify both effective areas and potential improvements within the system. These are condensed into five key questions.

Further information

Further information about the project and its findings can be access via the following annexes:

Annexe A - Key findings

Annexe B - Personas and individual journeys

Annexe C - Systems map (how to read)

Annexe D - Systems map (full resolution)

Annexe E - Methodology

For any other inquiries, please contact the Policy Lab team.

Email team@policylab.gov.uk Twitter / X @PolicyLab LinkedIn Policy Lab UK Blog https://openpolicy.blog.gov.uk/

Policy Lab and Government Campus would like to thank all the participants who generously volunteered their time and experience to co-create this project.