**Government Unveils New National Training Academy to Prepare for Future Pandemics**
In a move designed to bolster the United Kingdom’s preparedness against future national emergencies, the government has launched a dedicated academy with the goal of training more than 4,000 individuals annually in crisis management and resilience. The initiative comes as part of a broader strategy to learn lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure that public and private sector organisations are ready to respond to large-scale crises.
The newly established UK Resilience Academy will operate from the historic Hawkhills estate near Easingwold, north of York. Traditionally used for emergency planning exercises, Hawkhills will now be the central hub for intensive training programmes. The academy’s curriculum covers skills such as business continuity planning, crowd management techniques, and crisis communications — all of which proved crucial during the recent pandemic.
Course participants will hail from a range of backgrounds, with places reserved not only for public sector staff, but also for private sector representatives. The programme is intended to be wide-reaching, with members of the Civil Service and armed forces offered the opportunity to take part. By encompassing a diverse range of sectors, the government aims to create a unified and coordinated approach to future emergencies.
The government’s renewed focus on crisis preparedness follows findings from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett. In her recent report, Lady Hallett declared that the UK must improve its ability to deal with future pandemics and called for preparedness exercises to be mandated at least every three years. In response, ministers have pledged to carry out a comprehensive nationwide exercise in 2025, involving all government departments, local authorities, emergency services, and devolved administrations.
Additionally, an emergency mobile phone alert system will be tested later this year, aiming to offer the public rapid notification in the case of a developing crisis. This system, which sends warnings directly to people’s phones, was first trialled during the latter stages of the Covid-19 emergency, and will now form a key part of the government’s communication toolkit during potential future emergencies.
Despite these new measures, Lady Hallett has recently stressed that the government still faces considerable challenges in achieving adequate emergency preparedness. She has urged ministers to expand their efforts and go beyond the current steps to ensure that the country is genuinely ready for whatever dangers may lie ahead.
Pat McFadden, the senior minister in the Cabinet Office overseeing the resilience initiative, emphasised the significance of the new academy, describing it as “a generational upgrade to crisis training”. Mr McFadden also highlighted a new software tool being unveiled alongside the academy, designed to map and identify vulnerable populations — including older people, as well as communities experiencing power outages or insecure food supplies — during emergencies.
Commenting on the scale of the government’s push, Mr McFadden stated: “Today, we’re making a generational upgrade to crisis training for thousands of workers, and helping decision-makers identify vulnerable groups in a crisis.”
Reaction from health and emergency experts has generally been positive, with many pointing out that comprehensive training and up-to-date preparedness exercises are vital tools in safeguarding public health. There remains, however, some scepticism over whether the academy alone can address all of the structural weaknesses exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Across Whitehall and beyond, there is now heightened recognition of the need for all sectors of society to work together in facing future threats. By investing in robust training and adopting a proactive approach to resilience, ministers appear determined to ensure the UK is never as unprepared as it was for the last global pandemic. The coming years will show whether these new initiatives can truly deliver the level of readiness and protection the public expects.