2.24 In February 2012, the government launched the Major Projects Leadership Academy. This is part of government's wider ambition to eradicate the poor performance which has resulted in previous project failures. The Academy aims to build the leadership and project delivery skills of senior project staff within the civil service to deliver complex projects. Within five years the government expects the Academy to have trained between 200 and 300 civil servants and created a network of project management experts.
2.25 The Authority hopes that the Academy will also improve the assurance system. The role of assurance will be included as part of the curriculum and the Academy could be used to increase the number of available staff and skills for review teams. The Academy will train individuals in project delivery and leadership, but it relies on departments to make sure that these skills are embedded by combining them with suitable experience. This will usually involve staff managing government's major projects, but further benefit would be derived if they also became major project reviewers.