GCS Advance: Practitioner
The GCS Advance Practitioner programme is designed for those early in their government communication careers and will give you a strong grounding in the range of professional communications skills.
The programme consists of 6 core courses with a choice of 2 elective courses so that you can tailor your learning to suit your individual needs. To complete the Practitioner programme you will need to complete the 6 core courses plus 2 electives.
Key dates:
Registration opens: Autumn 2024
Programme starts: Autumn 2024
Core courses
Artificial intelligence (AI) and communications
In the workplace, as in society, we have only begun to realise the potential of artificial intelligence. The pace of change over the last year has been rapid and there are many opportunities and challenges for communicators to understand. This course will enable you to use AI effectively and with confidence.
Campaigning Excellence
Delivered well, government communications campaigns can save lives, as well as change them for the better. It is communications that informs citizens about access to vital government services that can help them. This course will teach you how the UK, a world leader in government communications, plans, executes, and evaluates all our campaigns.
Data and insight for communicators
The use of data and insights in informing how we, as communicators, plan and evaluate our activity has become more critical than ever before. Data and insights are the key to evidence-based decision-making. They help us understand the needs, concerns, and aspirations of our target audiences, ensuring our messages resonate and our campaigns have maximum impact.
Digital communications
More people than ever now receive some, if not all of their information online. With this approach being the new normal, it’s essential that organisations have digital at the heart of their communication strategies. As communicators, we should strive to be at the forefront of digital communications to ensure we are not left behind.
Communications and strategic engagement
Being able to understand and work with your stakeholders is a core communication skill, whatever your role or grade and in all environments. In this course, we will look at how to identify and map your audience groups, ensuring you can make the key links against your strategic communications objectives to deliver successful events and activities, with maximum impact.
Working with the media
A well-functioning press office is one of the key components of a successful communications team and a crucial conduit for the relationship between government bodies of all kinds and journalists. Both serve to strengthen accountability and provide a link with the public we serve.
You’ll also have a choice of elective courses so that you can tailor your learning to suit your individual needs:-
- A behavioural approach to communications
- Crisis Communications
- Understanding Mis- and Disinformation
- Introduction to National Security Communications
Why participate in the GCS Advance Practitioner programme?
Designed around your day job
The learning is designed around you. Because we know how busy and unpredictable your day jobs can be, the Practitioner programme will be delivered online through our digital learning platform, giving you high-quality, brand-new learning at a time and space that works for you.
Tailor-made for you
Designed completely in-house by a team of learning designers, working with subject matter experts, the courses marry multimedia content with engaging assessment to practice learning and real-life case studies to bring the theory to life.
Recognition and certification
The learning you complete as part of GCS Advance will be assessed and you’ll receive certification to recognise your achievements and support your individual development and career journey.
Eligibility
GCS Advance is available for communications professionals in the UK government departments, ALBs (including embedded communicators) and devolved administrations. The Practitioner programme is aimed at IO, HEO, SIO or equivalents.
Practitioner programme curriculum
Frequently asked questions
Click on the questions below to reveal the answers.
Around 4-5 days in total.
No, there is no additional per person cost for communications professionals in departments, ALBs (including embedded communicators) and devolved administrations.
You don’t need line manager approval to register but you should discuss and agree your L&D with your line manager.
No, the Practitioner programme is all online learning.
You will get a certificate to demonstrate the learning that you have completed.
Yes, plus two elective modules out of the four available to you.
No, though we recommend it as it will ensure you have undertaken the appropriate skills training to help you prepare for the next level.
No.
1000 spaces will be available. We will run the programme again in the Autumn to a further 1000 people.
We want to ensure that there is a good spread of people from across all the organisations that make up GCS. We want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to access the programme over the next three years so if you get a place, you will be expected to commit to and complete the programme in full.
We will run the programme again in the Autumn to a further 1000 people.
Practitioner level is aimed at those early in their government communication careers.
This would be equivalent to an officer, higher officer or senior officer grade. So, IO, HEO or SIO.
Yes, you can. The Practitioner programme is delivered 100% online. If you register from 5 March, you will be able to access the courses from 15 April and be able to pick up when you return.
GCS Advance is designed as a full replacement to the former learning offer, so this is intended to replace the former curriculum under the Academy umbrella. There are also the on-demand courses in addition to this.
Each course is worth 5 CPD points. Completion of the whole programme is worth 30 points.