The 21st century is an exhilarating time to work in public service, and at the National School we are committed to preparing public servants to play their part in governing the UK in this period of profound change.

This portfolio has been designed in response to address the UK Sustainable Development Strategy needs and from our own evidence drawn from stakeholder interviews.

The recently published Government Skills Strategy states that 'a thorough understanding of how to apply sustainable development principles will need to be a key part of policy skills for the future'.

Sustainable Development: Where to start

Whether you are new to ideas of sustainable development and require a general introduction, or need guidance for specific responsibilities, this portfolio has something for you.

Getting started provides a broad introduction to the subject, after which programmes are organised into four categories:

• Decision making and engagement
• Operations, procurement and quality management
• Personal and professional effectiveness
• Making it happen in organisations

These programmes combine to offer choices in learning methods, complexity and duration, and we are happy to advise on the right programme for you. Alternatively, please contact us about tailoring our provision to the specific requirements of your team or organisation.

Our aim is to ensure that you are well informed to deal with questions of sustainability effectively and with confidence, and that your organisation is well positioned to embed ideas of sustainable development into its work practices, policy making and decisions right through to service delivery.