2.3 A workforce for digital transformation: recommendations for the UK

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Building a digitally adept government requires more than hiring skilled digital professionals. It calls for a wholesale cultural and structural shift that empowers all public servants – regardless of their roles, grades, or disciplines – to contribute meaningfully to digital transformation. The existing public sector workforce is the government’s most valuable asset; unlocking its potential means ensuring that digital is no longer viewed as an adjunct capability, but as a universal competency embedded across every function and level. To achieve this, the future Digital Centre must address both the internal dynamics of the civil service and its broader enabling environment.

Cultivate supportive cultures: Encourage an environment where experimentation and learning are normalised, and where teams feel safe to propose innovative ideas. Recognise that trust and psychological safety are essential ingredients for sustained improvement. Leaders should publicly acknowledge that not every initiative will succeed immediately, and that learning from setbacks is part of building a genuinely digital state.
Equip everyone with digital skills: Move beyond the notion that digital capability resides only in specialised roles. Treat digital, data, and technology understanding as core competencies that underpin policy, operations, and service delivery. Provide continuous learning opportunities that adapt to changing technologies and user expectations, ensuring that all public servants can meaningfully engage with digital tools and data-driven insights.
Break down silos and foster collaboration: Enable genuine multi-disciplinary teamwork by addressing structural barriers that keep expertise isolated. Adapt governance, procurement, and funding models to support iterative delivery and ongoing user feedback. Ensure that “multi-disciplinary” means more than “multi-digital-disciplinary” and works closely with diverse professions—from policy and legal advisers, to frontline staff and commercial experts—so that services reflect the full range of skills and perspectives needed to meet user needs.
Invest in professional development and Communities of Practice: Restore and enhance dedicated programmes for learning, such as a reinvigorated Digital Academy or a more thoughtfully curated Government Campus. Offer opportunities for skill-building that go beyond traditional classroom settings. Commit to supporting Communities of Practice with dedicated leadership roles, modest budgets, and recognition of participation as a valued contribution to public service. This will help ensure that digital literacy, user-centred thinking, and collective problem-solving become ingrained rather than sporadic.
Engage political leaders in digital transformation: Support political leaders in developing a more profound understanding of digital government principles and methods. Stable leadership support—grounded in a long-term vision that spans electoral cycles—can help rebuild confidence and provide the conditions under which innovation can thrive. By equipping elected and appointed leaders with these insights, the government can align strategic priorities more closely with the practices and tools needed to deliver modern, user-focused services.
Reinforce an innovation mindset through incentives and accountability: Adjust performance metrics and procurement rules to reward adaptation, iteration, and user-centred outcomes rather than adherence to rigid, pre-defined plans. Recognise and celebrate incremental improvements, and show how learning from experimentation can lead to better results over time. This shift, supported by both political will and managerial determination, can re-establish the pioneering ethos that once characterised the UK’s digital journey.

By embracing these recommendations, the UK can take meaningful steps toward a public sector workforce that is digitally literate, empowered to innovate, and adept at working across boundaries. Strengthening digital culture, skills, and leadership—while ensuring that learning opportunities and professional networks remain robust—will set the stage for delivering services that genuinely meet user needs. Over time, this integrated approach can help the UK remain at the forefront of digital governance, capable of evolving as technologies and societal expectations continue to change.