International Communication Skills Course

Tender description

The FCO has several hundred staff working on communication in London and across its global network. Staff working on communication range from qualified professionals to diplomats with no prior communication experience to experienced locally employed staff to new starters. Staff regularly move into and out of communication roles so there is a constant requirement for high quality training to bring staff to the required level to deliver effective communication and to build and refresh their skills. Our staff currently have access to a suite of bespoke courses run by external trainers on our behalf. This includes the training sought in this procurement which we currently call "International Communication Skills" and is a five-day course specifically targeted at staff working in communication roles. For those in non-communication roles we also run "Strategic Communication for Policy Officers" (to help policy staff embed communication into their daily work), "Engagement & Communication for Leadership" (for Heads of Mission) and "Digital Diplomacy" (for all staff to incorporate and exploit digital tools into their work). "International Communication Skills" currently runs once a month in the UK and up to four times overseas where there's a strong enough regional or local need. Over 150 people per year attend the course and it is routinely oversubscribed with a substantial waiting list. This includes staff seeking a refresher as well as those new to FCO communication roles. The current course is very popular and has evolved over the course of the current contract to address changing needs such as new digital tools and high profile FCO campaigns. Feedback and evaluation suggests that the current format is successful and resulting in improved skills and awareness that filter through to better communication across the organisation.