3.16 Government is managing specialist skills across all departments through 'functions'. The aim is for each specialism to close the gap between the skills it needs and the skills it has (the 'capability gap') by providing a common approach to recruiting, developing and deploying specialists and creating broader cross-government career paths.21
3.17 GDS announced in September 2016 that it would take over the digital academy launched by the Department for Work & Pensions. It aims to train 3,000 civil servants a year. GDS is creating common definitions and titles for 40 job roles by March 2017. These definitions will then be rolled out across government.
3.18 Digital functions are seeking flexibility on pay to attract and retain expert staff, linking enhanced pay to specialist competency frameworks. It is too soon to judge the impact of these frameworks.
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Figure 9
Overview of GDS's activities to support data transformation
Data strategy | Data architecture | No overall data strategy to provide clarity of overall purpose. Focus so far on open data, Personal Data Exchange and GOV.UK. |
Map of current data environment | Previous mapping attempts failed because of fragmented landscape and burden of detail. | |
Map of future state | No overall view of future state for data for services, sharing, data security and privacy. Broad themes set out in 2017-2020 Transformation Strategy and also in September 2015 blog (for example, better use of data, modernising data infrastructure). Input on data-sharing provisions for the Digital Economy Bill. | |
Roadmap to future | No overall roadmap setting out a planned approach to using, improving, consolidating and migrating of legacy systems leading to departments creating own solutions. | |
Governance | Compliance | New Chief Data Officer role and a Data Advisory Board proposed to lead and coordinate on data use. Builds on earlier Data Leaders Network. Work on national data 'registers' accessible to public sector and other users but no mandate to enforce compliance. |
Standards and interoperability | Data standards assurance limited to technology-related proposals from departments through spending controls. | |
Maintenance of roadmap |
| |
Guidance | Principles | Technology Code of Practice sets out principles for 'making things open' and 'making things secure' and includes guidance on 'open data principles'. Provision of some guidance on registers. |
Standards | Formats for service users for registers established. No standards for data handling, usage, quality, governance, data design, security, reuse and sharing. | |
Good practice | The 2017 Transformation Strategy plans further guidance and assurance to public bodies on balancing use of data with protection of data and aims to further embed common security standards. |
Source: National Audit Office assessment. Table derived from standard practice guidelines
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21 Comptroller and Auditor General, Capability in the civil service, Session 2016-17, HC 919, National Audit Office, March 2017.