Learning at Work Week 2025

Posted on: 12 May 2025
Learning at Work Week 2025. Government Communications logo

Learning at Work Week 2025 is here, and this year’s theme is ‘Get Connected’! This initiative offers a perfect opportunity to expand your skills and strengthen professional relationships.

Daily themes

We’ll be sharing informal learning resources focused on different themes throughout the week on our LinkedIn and Instagram channels, as well as on this webpage. Check in daily for new content!

Friday 16 May: Reflect

Throughout the week, we explored different dimensions of professional development:

  • Monday: We connected with our comms disciplines and explored essential resources 
  • Tuesday: We discovered how audience segmentation helps us grow more effective communications
  • Wednesday: We shared inspiration through our GCS Advance programme and learning resources 
  • Thursday: We celebrated the power of sharing knowledge through mentoring and comms tips

As we approach the end of Learning at Work Week, we’re all about reflecting on what we’ve learned and how to apply these insights to our future work. The most successful communications professionals never stop learning – they continuously evaluate, adapt and innovate.

As highlighted in our Evaluation Cycle, formal learning is vital to understanding what works and what doesn’t. By documenting and sharing these lessons, we strengthen our entire community of practice.

Thursday 15 May: Share

Mentoring others is a brilliant way to share knowledge, offer support and guidance, and provide a fresh perspective. 

Not only is it a rewarding experience, it also helps you develop your leadership, communication and listening skills. 

Interested in becoming a mentor? Visit Connect to register.

Wednesday 14 May: Inspire

Looking for L&D comms inspiration? Learn about Advance, our flagship development programme for government communicators.

The programme consists of four levels, Apprenticeship, Practitioner, Expert and Leader, and has been uniquely designed for government communicators, supporting their professional development at every stage of their career.

  • Apprenticeship is an 18-month apprenticeship that combines work in one or more teams across government communications with academic study. You will be working towards a level 4 Public Relations and Communications apprenticeship.
  • Practitioner is a six-month online programme providing foundation-level learning for members new to the profession and those looking to refresh their knowledge and skills.
  • Expert is specifically aimed at Grade 7 members and senior managers, and gives a deeper understanding of the profession. Learners are required to attend a five-day SkillsCamp and two-day Learning Festival. Register for SkillsCamp on Connect.
  • Leader is a 15-month blended programme for Grade 6 members and deputy directors, focusing on leadership in government communications. Interested in learning more? We have information sessions on 15 May and 3 June.

Tuesday 13 May: Grow

Understanding your audience is essential for delivering communications with impact and purpose.

Effective communication happens when you reach the right people, with the right message, at the right time, using language they relate to—making your content more likely to be heard, understood and acted upon.

Beyond demographics: Modern audience segmentation

While traditional audience segmentation often relies on demographics alone, modern approaches incorporate behavioural insights for greater effectiveness:

  • Demographic segmentation provides easily accessible data but can lead to over-generalisation
  • Behavioural barrier analysis focuses on motivations and capabilities that cross demographic lines
  • Blended approaches combine demographics with behavioural insights to create more nuanced targeting

By understanding the specific barriers that prevent audience engagement, you can design communications that address these challenges directly, significantly improving your impact.

Benefits of effective audience segmentation

  • Target resources more efficiently by focusing on audiences most likely to respond
  • Ensure inclusivity by reaching traditionally underrepresented groups
  • Increase engagement with messages tailored to specific interests and needs
  • Improve communication outcomes by addressing key behavioural barriers

Learn more today!

Watch the Government Communications Call recording featuring Moira Nicholson, Behavioural Science Lead, and Becky Tatum, Insight and Evaluation Lead from the Advanced Data and Insight Team.

They discussed:

  • Why demographic targeting sometimes backfires and misses key audiences
  • How to identify behavioural barriers that drive effective audience segmentation
  • Practical examples of successful campaigns using blended approaches
  • Channel strategies that maximise reach when using advanced targeting methods
  • How the new GCS audience segmentation framework applies these principles

If you’re focused on internal communications, you can also read about segmenting your audience for internal communications.

Catch up on innovation

If you missed last month’s Inside the New Media Unit Call, you can watch the recording to discover how one team is testing innovative approaches to reach audiences where they are, using radical methods to rebuild trust in line with the UK government’s missions.

Monday 12 May: Connect

Connecting with colleagues across the profession opens up valuable knowledge-sharing opportunities, sparks inspiration and enables meaningful collaboration.

Ways to connect:

  • Explore the seven disciplines: Did you know you can participate in multiple discipline networks within Government Communications? Discover what these disciplines are doing through the Connect Community Forums.
  • Join your local Government Communications community: Update your profile on Connect with your location! Based in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, East Midlands, North East, South West England and Wales or Manchester? Meet your local leads and get involved through one of our seven location community forums.
  • Engage further with the community forums: Our digital space for government communicators has welcomed over 1,000 new users in just one month! With 17 forums covering locations, disciplines, and specialist topics like:
    • AMC Spend Control (PASS)
    • Campaign platform
    • Influencer and content creator marketing
    • Innovation
    • Missions
    • Using Assist

Browse the forums and use the search tool to find conversations that interest you. Watch our demo video for a step-by-step walkthrough on using the forums.

Please note: Many of the links within this article are only accessible for Government Communications members through their Connect login.