Secretary of state to government minister
A secretary of state already meets 58% of what the government minister role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
43/ 100
1 How much of what a government minister is expected to do is already part of a secretary of state’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the government minister role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A government minister role treats 10 of its required skills as things a secretary of state already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse legislation
- constitutional law
- good governance
- government policy implementation
- government representation
- legislation procedure
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A government minister role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a secretary of state background worth leading with.
- already held prepare legislation proposition management skills
- already held present legislation proposition communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held analyse legislation information skills
- already held constitutional law business, administration and law
- already held legislation procedure business, administration and law
- already held perform political negotiation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the government minister role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply crisis management required
- still to learn make legislative decisions required
- still to learn brainstorm ideas required
- optional, not held engage in debates optional
- optional, not held promote political campaign optional
- optional, not held represent national interests optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held political campaigning optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held perform government ceremonies optional
- optional, not held public law optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a government minister role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply crisis management practise this
- 02 make legislative decisions practise this
- 03 brainstorm ideas practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held analyse legislation skill
- already held constitutional law knowledge
- already held good governance knowledge
- already held government policy implementation knowledge
- already held government representation knowledge
- already held legislation procedure knowledge
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held perform political negotiation skill
- already held prepare legislation proposition skill
- already held present legislation proposition skill
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held budgetary principles knowledge
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held present reports skill
- already held public finance knowledge
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engage in debates optional
- optional, not held perform government ceremonies optional
- optional, not held promote political campaign optional
- optional, not held represent national interests optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
- optional, not held perform public relations optional
- optional, not held political campaigning optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held public law optional
14 held skills the government minister role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise legislators skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legislative acts skill
- not needed by the target role advise on public finance skill
- not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role ensure cross-department cooperation skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role manage administrative systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role public administration knowledge
- not needed by the target role represent the organisation skill
- not needed by the target role write meeting reports skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn rhetoric required
- optional, not held political campaigning optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held public law optional
Other moves recorded from secretary of state
Common questions about this move
Can a secretary of state become a government minister?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A secretary of state already covers 58% of what a government minister is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 10 of which the government minister role treats as required.
What skills does a secretary of state need to become a government minister?
4 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is apply crisis management.
How hard is the move from secretary of state to government minister?
Its learning distance is 43 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.