Training Courses

A unique two-day course that lifts the lid on Whitehall, for high-calibre senior leaders from business, frontline public services or third-sector bodies who are interested in becoming an MP, minister, special adviser, senior civil servant, or chair or board member of a public body. Led by people who have worked at the highest levels of government, with a VIP networking dinner on the first evening.

“Genuinely one of the best courses I’ve undertaken for a long time.”

The basic concepts, vocabulary and public finance fundamentals behind every spending and growth debate, for those new to economics or returning to it after years away. Includes guest speakers with direct experience of spending bids and Budget decisions in the Treasury and No.10.
“Pitched at exactly the right level for those who are looking to understand the different priorities and outcomes which ministers in the Treasury are seeking to balance.” — PARTICIPANT

A step up for those with the basics in hand: live debates on growth, tax and spending, tested against case studies and first-hand insight from Treasury and No.10 practitioners.

How sovereign debt is issued, priced and traded, and why the bond market has become a decisive constraint on fiscal policy.

The English school system explained: structures, funding, accountability and two decades of reform.
“It was an excellent day. I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in education policy.” — Participant

How the NHS actually works: funding, management, recent reform programmes and demographic trends.

Policing, prisons, probation and the courts in a single day: culture, accountability and what the data actually tells us.
“Brilliant exposure to the challenges and also the opportunities faced by those looking to improve the way the justice system works.” — Participant

Beyond the peace dividend and into the future of defence spending: what should or could we spend money on to keep our country safe and support our allies?

How Whitehall works and how a bill actually becomes law: drafting, Commons and Lords stages, secondary legislation, and the role of outside influence.

The unwritten rules that govern the country: Crown, Parliament, courts, conventions and the civil service, and how the uncodified and codified interact.

Politics and public services at the local level. We study the history, industry and statecraft of Northumbria to better understand how decisions can, and should, be made by mayors, councillors, MPs and others with a proud stake in the past and future of a place.

What spads actually do: priority delivery, working with officials, handling the media and keeping the party onside.

Making the single most important relationship in government work, in conversation with those who know how.

The nerve centre of a department, and ‘clutch function’ for ministers: tips from Private Secretaries with proven records.

Making a reality of the rhetoric: improving legacy systems and using AI well.

What government buys and how, and why it often goes wrong: the incentives and constraints of public contracts.

Convincing the Treasury and spending well: Spending Review trade-offs from all perspectives.

Becoming literate in numbers: spotting weak evidence, commissioning analysis, and using statistics to inform, explain and persuade.

The practical craft of designing, moderating and interpreting a focus group, from recruitment to reading the room.