As programme director at the Department for Work and Pensions, Julie Fitzpatrick is tasked with helping to implement the Government’s Fraud Error and Debt Bill.
The bill, which is expected to become law later this year, will introduce a raft of new powers – all with the aim of recouping funds for the taxpayer.
But Julie also believes there are efficiencies and cost savings to be gained within the Civil Service too – through increased use of digital technology and AI.
This was one of the reasons behind her decision to sign up for Government Skills’ Digital Excellence Programme.
“As a government department you have to keep moving forward, be innovative and create efficiencies and I wanted to have the skills and knowledge to do that,” said Julie.
“Every time we come up with a proposal, my goal now, more than ever, is to ask- how can we create efficiencies? where can we use AI? which manual processes can we digitise?”
Connecting the dots
The Digital Excellence Programme is designed for senior civil servants as well as Grade 6s and Grade 7s and can be completed in 22 hours, although Julie opted to stagger her learning over a number of weeks. The programme also signposts learners to further reading and learning opportunities.
“It’s good to link up to that expertise and knowledge,” said Julie.
“People think AI is brand new but it has been around forever and the course really made me think about that fact. For years we have had digital programmes assessing our risk potential when we apply for insurance, which is similar – but before I did the course I hadn’t connected the dots.
“I found the course easy to follow and you can pick it up and put it down. Being given examples of how long it has been around and how to use it yourself, is really useful. I went on to do two further courses and join the discussion groups to be a part of the conversation.”
Spreading the word
As a result of the programme, Julie is keen to spread the word about the scale of the impact that tech can achieve. She runs a community practice within DWP for the Portfolio Management Office for grades from AO to Grade 6. The use of Copilot has been particularly beneficial for staff as it reduces the admin burden, Julie believes.
“Last week I ran a session and got one of my Copilot experts to come along,” she said. “We discussed how we can incorporate Copilot into our ways of working. The more we can educate people the better.
“It’s the kind of small-scale efficiency that, when rolled out across government, creates efficiencies and gives people much more fulfilling roles.”
Julie, who has helped drive a number of key projects across multiple government departments, including at Defra and the Home Office, added: “As a result of what I know now, I’m convinced better use of digital applications is going to give us better jobs
“We have to embrace the possibilities, work more efficiently and use the tools that are available.”
Full details of the Digital Excellence Programme
