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Advancing the Profession Award

Recognising exceptional achievement in advancing the project delivery profession across government.

Published: 23 January 2026
Last modified: 11 March 2026 (See all updates)

Overview

The Advancing the Profession Award recognises exceptional achievement in advancing the project delivery profession across government.

It celebrates those who have driven improvements in the capability of the profession, by embedding accreditation, career development and a knowledge sharing community, to enable project delivery professionals to deliver better outcomes for citizens and government.

Winner

Department for Education

The Major Projects and Risk Division (MPRD) is the Department for Education’s centre of excellence for project delivery, supporting a profession grown from 200 to 600 colleagues. Their strategy aligns with the Government Functional Standard for Project Delivery and the Project Delivery Capability Framework, embedding accreditation, strengthening standards, and fostering collaborative professional community through data-led approaches and structured learning pathways.

They exceeded expectations with over 200 accredited colleagues, the highest percentage and numbers compared to similar-sized government departments. The department met its accreditation targets for the financial year’s of 2025-26 and 2026-27 and is on track to achieve the 2027-28 target 2 years early. Eight communities of practice foster cross-functional collaboration, whilst their project delivery hub provides accessible tools and guidance.

MPRD tackled structural challenges in a policy-led department where delivery was historically undervalued. They embedded accreditation into workforce planning, launched communities of practice, and used GOST for targeted interventions.

Lessons are institutionalised through quarterly thematic reviews, continuous GOST analysis, and regular hub updates, creating feedback loops driving continuous improvement across the department.

Shortlist

Ministry of Defence

The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) deputy heads of profession led the department to exceed its accreditation target, achieving 1,150 accreditations by April 2025 – the highest across government, despite starting from just 83. The deputy heads of profession championed the scheme through personal example, workshops, and consistent messaging about career benefits rather than mandates. This collaborative approach across 14 autonomous organisations with 7,400 project delivery professionals drove exceptional results without central authority.

The deputy heads of profession overcame resistance by listening to concerns, sharing best practice across organisations, and showcasing success stories. Regular collaboration created consistency and shared purpose. The function supported this by improving data quality on the Government Online Skills Tool (GOST), creating training videos, and developing tailored reporting, establishing reliable workforce planning capability.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

The Project Delivery Professional Excellence team grows and empowers professionals through a 5 year strategy focused on talent management, training, project and performance management, and recognition and culture.

Key achievements include:

  • the Capacity and Capability Dashboard improved resource management, reducing staff from 3,000 to 2,600 full-time equivalents and cutting contractor numbers from 110 to 20
  • 31% of HMRC staff in projects now have some form of accreditation, including 41% of staff in work on the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP), and 84% of Senior Civil Service staff
  • over 150 staff achieved APM Chartership, with a 98% success rate for applicants
  • centralised resourcing campaigns processed 2,900 applications, with job application success rates increasing from 11% to 34%.
  • using the 70-20-10 learning model to balance formal training with experiential and peer-led learning
  • an apprenticeship strategy which aimed to attract attracts early-career talent, promoting social mobility, and had 3,000 applications for 30 vacancies
  • a successful rapid response team trial providing short-term, urgent support to projects and improving their capability and confidence which is now a ‘business as usual’ function and has undertaken 20 critical commissions since the team formed in March 2025

These efforts transformed the profession through enhanced development, standardised practices, and continuous improvement culture.

Judging criteria

Judges look at:

  • the vision and strategy and how it improves project delivery capability in the profession, and how this supports both current priorities and future challenges
  • how the organisation’s maturity in capability and capacity was assessed, what gaps were identified and how they were prioritised
  • how accreditation at all levels (from Foundation to Master) is implemented
  • the use of initiatives such as building communities of practice or interest, special interest groups, networks, championing innovative approaches or/and outreach services to promote the benefits of accreditation
  • how tie individual or team inspires and motivates others to embrace change, works inclusively across functions, departments or sectors, and shares and embeds improvements across the profession and boundaries

Judges will look at how the capability improvement:

  • delivers any additional benefits beyond those originally identified
  • raises the bar for the delivery of projects in the organisation and/or the wider profession
  • helps to make project delivery a profession of choice

Judges look at:

  • the challenges in developing or implementing the capability improvement, how they were overcome, and their impact
  • how the individual or team considered best practice and lessons learned from the improvement, and how these are being built into future practice to continually improve the maturity of the profession
Updates

Winner added.

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