A social enterprise has been awarded the contract to run the Cabinet Office Commissioning Academy, a leadership programme for public sector commissioners, minister Rob Wilson said yesterday.
The concession contract to run the programme has been awarded to social enterprise the Public Service Transformation Academy.
The Commissioning Academy aims to help those who work on defining policy, shaping public service provision or allocating resources for services to citizens, in order to get the best outcome.
The Public Service Transformation Academy is led by Red Quadrant and the Whitehall & Industry Group with other partners including OPM, NCVO, Browne Jacobson LLP, the E3M Bold Commissioners Club, Numbers for Good, TSIP, the Alliance for Useful Evidence, Local Gov Digital, Collaborate, and members of the Public Service Transformation Network.
Rob Wilson, minister for civil society, said: “This new phase of the Academy will mean commissioners can continue to review relevant challenges and opportunities, including closer working with service users and harnessing social action, social value and a diverse marketplace including small and medium enterprises, charities and social enterprises, for the benefit of citizens.
“The Public Service Transformation Academy will operate on a not-for-profit basis and I am confident that this innovative way of delivering training will continue to keep the Commissioning Academy at the cutting edge of policy and practice.”
The Commissioning Academy was originally launched in 2012 by former Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude. Over 1,100 senior leaders in central and local government and across public services have already attended the development programmes run by the Academy.
Benjamin Taylor, managing partner of RedQuadrant and chief executive of the Public Service Transformation Academy, said: “We believe in helping public services to help themselves, and the Commissioning Academy has been one of the most effective ways to spread new thinking to help meet citizen needs in challenging financial circumstances.
“We hope to make the new Public Service Transformation Academy the ‘go-to’ place for real, practical capacity-building for transformation.”
Programmes take place over 3 to 6 days. They involve "some of the country’s leading experts as speakers to stimulate debates and help participants develop the skills and confidence to address the challenge of public service transformation". The next programme starts on 9 June with tailored regional programmes available from 1 May 2016.
Growth in social investment
Figures from the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme have shown a 27 per cent increase in applications this year, with over 1,300 contacting the organisation for support in starting.
Alastair Wilson, chief executive of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, said: “The increased level of applications clearly demonstrates there is a real desire and appetite from ambitious and inspiring social entrepreneurs who are driven to help deliver social change in their communities. We are delighted with the response this year and look forward to helping the successful social enterprises start-up or scale-up their ideas.”
