Scheme duration
3 years
Location
The specific towns and cities depend on the department you are posted to and its office locations. The Fast Stream evolves continually, so postings can vary from year to year.
As an indication, in 2025 new fast streamers were posted to government offices in the following regions: South East (inc London), North East, North West, Scotland, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.
We endeavour to meet your posting preferences wherever possible; however, on occasion, individuals may need to move location subject to the demands of the departments we work with and/or business need.
Scheme overview
On the Government Policy Fast Stream, you will work at the heart of the Civil Service. You’ll design, develop and propose appropriate courses of action to help meet key government priorities, ministerial objectives, and positively impact citizens’ lives.
What you’ll experience
The scheme offers the opportunity to work on issues that really make a difference to people’s lives as well as more niche policy areas.
Throughout your time on the scheme, you’ll get a grounding in the three pillars of our competency framework – Policy Profession Standards; Strategy, Democracy and Delivery, which will equip you with the tools you need to thrive within the profession.
You will work across a range of departments and roles giving you exposure to different stages of the policy cycle. You will develop your technical policy skills and establish valuable networks across and outside of government, helping you prepare you to become a successful policy leader.
The Policy Profession will provide you with a day of induction to policy making in government plus additional professional development days in each year of the scheme. You will also study for an externally accredited Postgraduate Award in Policy making and undertake training in leadership and management.
Your formal learning will equip you with the underpinning policy knowledge, tools and skills you need for your postings and future career.
You will have a buddy as you begin the scheme and no matter where you are, there will be lots of opportunities to get together as a cohort, either in person or virtually.
As well as the networks and skills you’ve built through your time on the programme, you will continue to receive support as you graduate into your mainstream policy role.
The skills you will develop on the scheme are highly transferable across a broad range of policy domains and government departments, leaving you equipped to shape the policy career that you choose.
Entry requirements
- eligible to work in the UK
- you need, or expect to receive, a 2:2 or higher in any degree subject, including degree apprenticeships
- existing civil servants can apply without a degree
The benefits you’ll enjoy
The programme provides a solid foundation for promotion and long-term career progression within the profession and offers many advantages, which include:
- responsibility and autonomy in a variety of roles at the heart of the Civil Service
- excellent training and development opportunities including an accredited postgraduate qualification
- close contact with senior civil servants and the opportunity to join a valuable network of future leaders
- possible opportunity for international work
- enhanced support as you off-board from the scheme into your permanent policy role
- potential earning opportunities between £45k and £62k upon successful completion of the scheme
Further employment benefits include a generous annual leave offer starting at 25 days plus national holidays, access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, flexible working opportunities, season ticket loans, sports and social activities, childcare assistance and more.
Demystifying the Government Policy scheme
Supporting your learning
Wherever you are starting your journey from, we will support you through a variety of activities to enhance your career in policy.
You will have access to blended learning opportunities to suit your needs, consisting of:
- a structured programme of learning and development to build your professional competence across each pillar of the Policy Profession Standards
- postgraduate Award in policy making
- policy domain learning e.g. education, justice, health, relevant to your roles through a mix of formal and on-the-job learning
- social learning through opportunities such as cohort days, communities of practice, action learning sets and mentoring
- high quality leadership and management training
- training at foundation level in complementary specialisms such as analysis, commercial, project management, etc.
- tapered support as you graduate from the scheme into a Grade 7 policy role
Freya talks about her experience on the Government Policy scheme, and gives advice about applying to the Fast Stream.
“It offers a breadth of different types of work and projects –
there’s always something new to learn.”
Ryan
Government Policy fast streamer
Government Policy fast streamer, Ryan
About the scheme
Policy professionals play a pivotal role in helping ministers to navigate often complex policy issues and make the commitments of the government a reality.
You will work with Parliament, ministers, legislation and a broad stakeholder network to propose and design courses of action across a variety of policy areas that will improve existing or develop new public services.
You will develop agility of thought, learn how to approach matters strategically, tactically and creatively to develop ideas that will achieve objectives.
You will have opportunities to learn the system of government, support ministers with objective and impartial advice, navigate the complexities of Parliament and may work with other governments both in the UK and overseas.
You will understand how to take a broad view to ensure you’ve weighed up the available evidence and identified the implications of your proposals. You will also work closely with Operational Delivery colleagues to monitor policy delivery and adapt policies over time.
You will learn how to develop strong working relationships with others, building productive networks with a wide range of stakeholders to develop effective policy proposals. You will also develop the essential policy skill of feeling comfortable working in a fast paced and dynamic environment.
There will be lots to learn on the job, where you will be working within a supportive environment to help you develop both the softer and more technical skills required of policy professionals.
Over the course of the scheme, you will also develop as a policy professional through training days delivered by senior leaders from across the Profession and by studying for a 30-credit Postgraduate Award in policy making.
Through your three years on the Fast Stream scheme, you will hone your skills and gain a breadth of experience that will support you on your journey to becoming a future leader in the Policy Profession.
Scheme placement details
In your first year we will support you to develop a solid foundation of key policy making principles. Your learning will start straight away with practical on the job learning during your first posting. You will also attend a day of induction into the Policy Profession and join with others in your cohort for a day of professional development delivered by experienced policy professionals. You will take your first core module in your postgraduate studies. Throughout the year, you will have the opportunity to network both within your policy domain and across the government.
In your second year you will deepen your technical policy making skills through a new posting as well as three further days of professional development and a choice of postgraduate elective modules. You will also develop a grounding across other areas of government to help you work more effectively with colleagues in other professions such as legal, analytical, commercial, finance, operational delivery and more.
The final year will round off your skillset to ensure you develop your competence working at every stage of the policy cycle. Alongside completing your Postgraduate Award, you will spend a final day learning from senior policy professionals. Your final posting will expose you to work at the middle-management level, with tapered support as the scheme ends. ensuring you are equipped for a successful and fulfilling career as a policy professional.