Support for ministers
We offer bespoke, confidential and free workshops for individual ministers and wider ministerial teams.
A job like no other: How government ministers can be supported to succeed
How ministers benefit from professional executive support, the skills and areas this support can cover, and how ministers can access it.
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Personal effectiveness
Understanding ethical standards in government
Ensuring you understand the rules that apply to ministers can help you avoid difficult situations that distract from your ability to get things done.
Making decisions
Making decisions in government
What are the key decision-making processes in government, and how can you ensure you get what you need to?
Understanding policy making
Ministers play a key role in making policy decisions, but also have a useful ability to shape the advice and input that informs those decisions.
Using and commissioning research in government
Using research skilfully can be an effective way to strengthen your policies.
Key relationships
Working with your private office
What does the private office do – and how can you get the best out of them?
Leading a ministerial team
As a new secretary of state, how will you lead your ministerial team? Find out how other have done it.
Working in a ministerial team
How well a ministerial team works depends greatly on the secretary of state.
How to be an effective parliamentary private secretary
As a parliamentary private secretary, you are a vital link between parliament and Whitehall.
Working across government
How to be an effective joint minister
As a joint minister, you are well-placed to support collaboration across government.
Leading your department
Government finances
The most effective ministers are those who can achieve their key priorities within budget, ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.
Using targets
Setting a target can be a useful signal of your political priorities – it is a clear way to communicate your aims to those responsible for delivery.
Becoming prime minister
All new prime ministers face huge practical challenges of being head of government.
Becoming secretary of state
MPs with ambitions of being put in charge of a department must prepare, plan and set priorities now if they want to make an impact.
Becoming a Lords minister
The way that Lords ministers approach the role, and the support they are given to undertake it, can be very different from their Commons counterparts.
How to get to grips with departmental budgets
What every new secretary of state needs to understand about departmental budgets.
How to approach insourcing and outsourcing
Key questions you should ask when making decisions on government outsourcing and insourcing.
IfG Academy team
Tim Durrant
Programme Director
Catherine Haddon
Programme Director
Sachin Savur
Researcher