Civil Service Commission training workshops: empowering compliance with the Recruitment Principles
As the regulator of appointments into the Civil Service, the Commission wants to support departments to fairly and openly recruit the most meritorious candidates based on an ethos of supportive guidance and prevention – acting as an educating regulator.
A key element of this approach is our regular training sessions with departments on the Recruitment Principles.
Drawing on the results of our 2024/25 audit, which saw us examine the recruitment activity of every organisation in our remit through 39 full audits and 28 interim audits, we identified a clear picture of common misunderstandings and information gaps across the system.
We combined these findings with a range of other internal intelligence – including common queries, complaints investigations, and our review into exception usage delegated to departments – to design an enhanced training offer for 2025-26 to better address the real-world recruitment challenges faced by departments.
The aim was to ensure that training was not only informative, but genuinely supported departments in applying the Recruitment Principles effectively and consistently, promoting good practice and preventing breaches before they occur – rather than punishing them retrospectively.
The result was six new bespoke training sessions featuring clear explanations, interactive activities and signposting to sources of further support. They are based on the following themes:
- Common breaches and lessons learned
- Exceptions
- Crafting effective job adverts
- The use of reserve lists
- Mastering the audit process: essential tips for success (profiled in Civil Service World)
- Commissioner-chaired campaigns and panel composition
Attendance across the first round of training was exceptionally high, with an average of almost 550 civil servants registering for each session. This positive engagement reflects a sustained interest in strengthening recruitment practice and compliance across the Civil Service. Attendees particularly welcomed the Commission team’s expert explanation of the rationale underpinning the Commission’s decisions, as well as the inclusion of both theoretical explanations and tangible worked examples.
"The descriptions provide absolute clarity of process" – participant
We are now midway through a second iteration of the programme, still with excellent rates of attendance and engagement. We now also offer tailored one-to-one support to departments with specific development needs. This sees the Commission’s team spend time with an organisation's recruitment leads to develop solutions to recurring challenges.
"The content and information was relevant, interesting and useful" – participant
In addition, our departmental audits proactively look to identify areas where further training should be completed prior to the organisation’s next assessment. We continue to look to improve our offer, including through exploring hosting online interactive exercises.If you are involved in civil service recruitment, contact us at info@csc.gov.uk for details of upcoming sessions or to discuss how we can help.
