By Government Science & Engineering Profession
LONDON, England – The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the essential role of scientists and engineers in improving the quality of government decisions: to ensure not only that scientific evidence strengthens policy, but also that it is effectively communicated. This is why the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) profession is committed to actively promoting the brilliant work of members. However, we recognise that there is more we can do in this space to ensure we record specialist knowledge and subsequently plug these skills into decision making across government.
To create a strong and inclusive community, the GSE profession has been working on building a solid foundation for members. Since March 2021, the GSE profession has implemented a new sign up process for members which will automatically enrol members onto the relevant distribution list to receive the latest news and events. Members are encouraged to get involved with a variety of opportunities and networks to maximise their visibility across government.
The recently established GSE Communications Network is a cross-government group of professionals who are responsible for multiple communications outlets – from blogs, to newsletters, to briefings and events. The group is an excellent way of promoting the work of scientists and engineers to new audiences from a variety of organisations. One communications method is the GSE Blog, which has been revamped to represent the exciting and diverse nature of the profession, which is supported by a steady flow of content authored from a variety of members.
The launch of the revised GSE Strategy outlines the profession’s commitment to push boundaries and solidify this sense of community. These include :
- Capturing the skills of members through the GSE Skills Assessment Tool so the profession can provide tailored support to retain this specialist knowledge;
- Producing multimedia case studies of the GSE lifecycle, with an increase in contributors to ensure this content reflects the diversity within the profession;
- Empowering members to champion the profession within their organisations;
- Map out pockets of government to better identify where scientists and engineers sit and encourage them to join our community – the greater the diversity of our members, the stronger our community;
- Embed the profession into new starter kits to ensure all those with an interest in science and engineering are supported from their first day in role;
- Setting targets to drive forward progress – with a commitment to increasing the membership of the GSE profession by 20 percent by 2022. This will hold the profession to account and see regular updates to members.
Whether its joining a network, or becoming a GSE Champion, you can get involved by emailing gse@go-science.gov.uk.
Related: Enabling Government Science and Engineering (GSE) leadership
