Stakeholder Updates 

This is where the Institute posts material related to the stakeholder updates in the regulation sector. If you have material to add or would like to help curate this page, please contact us. 

Core Regulatory Skills Framework - Department of Business & Trade

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has worked with the Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) and UK regulators to create a Core Skills Framework to strengthen regulator capability and expertise.

This framework is for all UK regulators, including: 

  • public sector and professional regulators

  • regulators in the Civil Service

Regulatory organisations can use the framework alongside their own specialist skills frameworks in the technical areas that they regulate.

The framework is voluntary, but provides a standard language that can be used by regulators in their work. This will help to build a shared understanding of good regulatory practice for those who work in regulation and bring consistency across the regulatory landscape for the benefit of regulated entities.

gov.uk

New gov.uk Core Regulatory Skills Framework page: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-regulatory-skills-framework

The framework is also available via the Regulation for Growth gov.uk page: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/regulation-for-growth

Operational Delivery Profession website

 New ODP Regulator Skills and Capability home page: Regulatory Skills and Capabilities - Operational Delivery Profession

 Core Regulatory Skills Framework is at: ODP Professional Skills Framework - Operational Delivery Profession

Regulation Directorate - Department of Business & Trade

Draft Core Regulatory Skills Framework

The draft core skills framework is designed to include the core skills needed by regulators working in different aspects of regulation.  It could be used as a basis for regulators’ own competency and standards frameworks, and adapted for their specific requirements, as not all tools and functions will be required by every regulator. The draft Framework is designed to complement the specialist skills and training that regulators already provide to their staff.

DBT invited regulators to submit their views and any comments / suggestions on their draft of the Framework in July 2025:

  1. The draft Core Skills Framework.

  2. Annex A – this provides as overview of the draft Framework, including development levels and themes.

  3. Annex B – this includes additional proposed core skills on Regulatory Craft, Regulatory Stewardship and Promotion of Standards that have been suggested during DBT’s discussions with regulators.  In developing the draft Framework, DBT thinks that these skills may have already been included in other areas. For example, Regulatory Craft includes elements covered in Risk-Based Regulation, Communication, and Using Data and Evidence. Similarly, Regulatory Stewardship includes themes covered in Regulation Theory, Using Data and Evidence, and Communication. However, DBT welcomed views on whether regulators think that these should be included separately or whether they duplicate skills that are included elsewhere.

Further reading and information:

  • Further resources will be shared here on a rolling basis.