{"id":6112,"date":"2026-10-26T10:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/?p=6112"},"modified":"2026-10-26T10:09:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:09:37","slug":"__trashed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2026\/10\/26\/__trashed-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Better public services start with better capability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dean Rhodes, Senior Agile Coach in the Scottish Digital Academy blogs about evolving their learning offer to help more people develop the skills, confidence and connections needed to drive transformation across Scotland’s public sector.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Investing in learning, Investing in transformation<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the Scottish Digital Academy<\/a>, we’re passionate about helping people across the public sector develop the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland.<\/p>\n

Every course we design and deliver is part of a wider ambition: supporting the transformation of Scotland’s public services through modern ways of working<\/a>, user-centred thinking, leadership development<\/a> and digital capability<\/a>. The Academy’s role as a centre of excellence for digital capability is central to supporting public service reform and the development of the Government Digital and Data profession across Scotland.<\/p>\n

Whether we’re introducing someone to agile principles for the first time, helping leaders navigate complexity or supporting multidisciplinary teams to improve how they deliver services, our goal remains the same: creating opportunities for people to learn, connect and grow together.<\/p>\n

Learning as a shared experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the things that makes Academy courses different is that the learning doesn’t just come from our coaches and facilitators. It comes from participants sharing their experiences, challenges and insights with one another.<\/p>\n

Some of our most valuable learning moments happen when people from different organisations, professions and backgrounds come together to discuss common problems and discover new approaches. These conversations help build connections across the public sector and create a shared understanding of how we can work differently to improve outcomes.<\/p>\n

For that reason, participation matters. Every individual who joins a course contributes to the experience of the wider group. Learning is not something that happens in isolation. The collective knowledge, perspectives and experiences of delegates are often just as important as the content itself.<\/p>\n

Building capability for the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

The recent publication of Serving Scotland: our five-year plan<\/a> reinforces the importance of investing in skills, capability and adaptability. As the Scottish Government continues to modernise services and respond to increasing pressures on public services, there is a clear need to invest in people, develop new skills and create a more agile, responsive workforce.<\/p>\n

At the Scottish Digital Academy, we see capability development as key to successful transformation. Alongside supporting the Government Digital and Data profession, we are helping organisations across the Scottish public sector build the skills needed to design, deliver and continually improve services around user needs.<\/p>\n

As part of this work, we are also contributing to wider conversations around capability, skills and organisational readiness. Our emerging capability assessment work aims to help teams and organisations better understand their strengths, identify opportunities for improvement and make informed decisions about future investment in skills and learning.<\/p>\n

This focus on capability is about more than individual development. It is about creating the conditions for meaningful and sustainable transformation across Scotland’s public sector.<\/p>\n

Expanding our learning offer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the past year, we have continued to see strong demand for learning focused on agile delivery, collaboration and service improvement. Courses such as Introduction to Scrum and User Story Mapping remain among our most popular offerings, helping participants understand practical techniques that support iterative delivery, teamwork and a focus on user needs.<\/p>\n

As demand grows, we are exploring new ways to make learning more accessible while maintaining the quality and depth that delegates value. One of the ways we are doing this is through a more flexible, tiered approach to learning.<\/p>\n

This includes:<\/p>\n