The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is set to offer short finance courses to civil servants throughout the UK via civil service learning portal the Government Campus.

The courses offered will include AAT Business Finance Basics and AAT Essentials.

By placing these courses on the platform, government staff in finance roles as well as colleagues without a finance background can access training to gain or update foundational knowledge.

The initiative will support the government’s goal of strengthening financial capability, transparency and value for taxpayers’ money by building essential financial skills among civil servants.

This will in turn help those overseeing and delivering publicly funded programmes use public resources more efficiently.

The courses are structured to suit learners with varying levels of prior experience. They use plain explanations alongside examples drawn from both the public and private sectors to bring concepts to life.

AAT commercial director Chantel Carpenter said: “Strong financial and business skills are essential for any organisation. They give people the confidence and insight to understand how decisions impact outcomes and ultimately improve performance.

“At AAT, we are committed to helping organisations build capability through practical, real-world training that makes a difference from day one.

“We are delighted to bring this approach to the Civil Service, supporting its ambition to upskill teams and drive accountability across government.” 

The move sits alongside AAT’s wider work to develop financial literacy and business understanding across the UK workforce, following its most recently announced partnership with the Nuclear Institute to provide financial training for its members.

AAT has also become the first professional accountancy body to join the South Yorkshire Skills Bank, addressing regional skills shortages.