COLP-GOV: Building Learning-Driven Governments
Certified Organisational Learning Professional for Government. Learn faster, see further, excel and move forward with confidence
Governments face tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s ways of learning
Public institutions are asked to solve problems that did not exist five years ago, often with systems designed decades ago. Skilled people alone are not enough. An institution that does not learn cannot improve, and an institution that cannot improve cannot serve its citizens well.
COLP-GOV is the Stirling Centre’s flagship programme for public sector leaders and officials. It equips them to turn ministries, agencies and public bodies into learning-driven institutions, using the Learning-Driven Organisation (LDO) model set out in The Learning-Driven Business by Dr Alaa Garad and Professor Jeff Gold (Bloomsbury, 2021).
Five days of intensive learning are followed by three months of supported implementation, so that new ideas become measurable change.
Learn Faster
See Further
Excel in your role
Move forward with cofidence
At a glance
Duration
5-day intensive plus six 90-minute Impact Circles over 3 months
Delivery
In person, online or hybrid
Languages
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish
Accreditation
Lisbon Business and Government School
Framework
LDO model and OLS:2026, the world’s first international BSI score-based standard on organisational learning
Award
COLP-GOV certificate and COLP Ambassador status
Designed for those who shape public institutions
- Senior and mid-level officials in ministries, agencies, regulators and local government
- Heads and members of strategy, policy, HR, learning and development, quality and innovation units
- Leaders of national training academies, civil service colleges and public sector reform programmes
- Teams nominated by their institution to lead its transformation together
What you will be able to do
- Diagnose the learning culture of your institution using LDO tools and OLS:2026
- Design learning systems at individual, team and institutional level
- Lead institutional transformation using the EFQM 2020 excellence framework
- Use artificial intelligence and knowledge management to protect institutional memory
- Build a Government Learning and Innovation Strategy (GLIS) linked to national priorities and the SDGs
- Champion organisational learning across government as a certified COLP Ambassador
Phase 1: Five-day intensive
Ten practical sessions, each producing an output that builds towards your own transformation project.
Day 1: Foundations and diagnosis
The learning organisation: from theory to government reality.
Training versus learning-driven organisations, the three levels and three loops of learning, and an organisational learning culture diagnostic.
Learning patterns and measurement.
The 70:20:10 model, AI-enabled learning, Kirkpatrick’s four levels, the Learning Intelligence Dashboard and designing Learning KPIs.
Day 2: Individual learning and reflection
Learning through reflection.
Strategic reflection, mentoring and coaching, and a personal learning map.
Cross-training and skills development.
Learning across government units, learning from citizens, AI-supported self-development and an individual 90-day learning plan.
Day 3: Team learning
Building learning teams.
Action Learning Sets, communities of practice, after-action reviews, psychological safety and a live Action Learning simulation.
Knowledge management and institutional memory.
The SECI model, AI for digital institutional memory, suggestion and innovation systems, and a critical-knowledge map.
Day 4: Excellence and innovation strategy
The excellence framework and strategy building.
EFQM 2020 in government, the TRADE benchmarking methodology and the Government Learning and Innovation Strategy (GLIS).
Leading the transformation.
The Chief Learning Officer role, Kotter’s eight steps of change and 360-degree listening to employees and citizens.
Day 5: Presentations and certification
Final review and preparation.
Refining transformation projects with faculty guidance.
Presentations and certification.
Team presentations, expert feedback, certification as COLP Ambassadors and launch of the 90-day roadmap.
Phase 2: Impact Circles
Five days can change how a public servant thinks. Ninety days can change how an institution works.
Twice a month for three months, graduates return for a focused 90-minute online session. Each one brings an international expert to the table and gives teams the floor to show what they have changed: a process simplified, a feedback loop opened, a service improved for citizens. By the final session, the strongest improvements are recognised as benchmarks for others to follow.
| Session | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1 | Launch: from plan to practice |
| 2 | Learn faster |
| 3 | Remember better |
| 4 | See further |
| 5 | Excel |
| 6 | Move forward with confidence |
Not a classroom exercise. A plan for your institution.
Throughout the programme, each participant builds a real transformation project for their own institution: a learning culture diagnosis, a critical-knowledge map, the design of a learning team, a condensed GLIS with a 90-day roadmap, and a roll-out plan. Projects are presented to faculty on Day 5 and refined within 21 days. Impact is then tracked through the Impact Circles, with an OLS:2026 baseline at the start and a repeat at the end.
What is included
- COLP-GOV certificate, accredited by Lisbon Business and Government School
- Complete digital programme materials
- One year of access to the AI-enabled Code of Talent learning platform
- Six months of applied mentoring during implementation
- One year of Stirling Centre membership and the international COLP alumni network
- The opportunity to publish in the International Journal of Strategy and Organisational Learning (IJSOL)
Programme leader
Programme Leader | President and Founder, Stirling Centre
Co-developer, with Professor Jeff Gold, of the Learning-Driven Organisation model and co-author of The Learning-Driven Business (Bloomsbury, 2021). Over 30 years in UK, Gulf and international higher education, he has served as Pro Vice-Chancellor and university president and assessed more than 600 organisations as an EFQM, ISO and Investors in People assessor. In 2022 he received the Headline UK Excellence Award from HRH The Princess Royal for his contribution to lifelong, organisational and governmental learning. FRSA, SFHEA.
Programme faculty
Former Minister of State for Administrative Development, Egypt
Led national e-government strategy and institutional reform as minister (2004-2011) and later chaired the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Adviser to the UN, World Bank, EU and African Union on governance and organisational development.
Former Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia
Associate Professor at the University of Ljubljana and one of GovInsider’s 100 Women in GovTech (2024). Leads the 4P Digital Innovation Hub and is a member of UNESCO’s Women in Ethics in AI group.
Director General, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)
More than 15 years in government, implementing Pakistan’s media code of conduct and leading national campaigns against disinformation. Author of Petals in My Diary.
Chairman, Global Benchmarking Network
Founder of the TRADE Best Practice Benchmarking Methodology, he has facilitated more than 50 benchmarking projects for the Dubai Government and advised numerous countries on business excellence.
CEO and Founder, Symphonia for South Africa
Designer of the award-winning Partners for Possibility programme, which has enabled more than 3,800 leaders to learn in real-world complexity. Doctorate in Management, University of Hertfordshire.
Founding Dean, Lisbon Business and Government School
University professor and researcher with more than 23 years of experience, General Director of Communication and External Relations at ISEC Lisbon and President of Portugal’s Observatory of Creative Industries.
Co-founder and Chairman, International Customer Experience Institute (ICXI)
After 28 years leading a top UAE customer experience firm, he co-created a global framework for measuring employee happiness. Author of Value Moments and Customer Happiness on the Horizon.
Frequently asked questions
Who awards the certificate?
The Stirling Centre for Strategic Learning and Innovation, with accreditation from Lisbon Business and Government School.
Can the programme be delivered in our language?
Yes. COLP-GOV is available in all six official UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Can it be delivered online?
Yes. Phase 1 can run in person, online or hybrid. The Impact Circles in Phase 2 run online, so international experts can join every session.
What is the time commitment?
Five days of intensive learning, followed by six 90-minute sessions held twice a month over three months.
Can it be tailored to our government?
Yes. Transformation projects are built around each institution’s own priorities, and examples are adapted to the national context.
How large is a cohort?
Up to 25 participants, ideally in teams of three to five from the same institution
How much does it cost?
Fees depend on the delivery format and cohort size. Please contact us for a proposal.
Bring COLP-GOV to your institution
Whether for a single ministry, a national cohort across government or an open international cohort, we would be glad to design the right programme with you.
- Visit:https://stirlingcentre.org.uk/colp-gov/
- Email: Jude@stirlingcentre.org.uk
- WhatsApp: +44 7491 877138