Improving access to and provision of public health education and training in the UK

This paper examines some of the challenges facing public health education and training in the UK, especially those relating to the wider workforce. It identifies key drivers for the need to improve access to and provision of public health education and training, such as the establishment of the Voluntary Register for Public Health Specialists and the launch of the Public Health Skills and Career Framework. The paper also touches briefly on developments in public health education and training in the USA, noting where lessons could be learnt by both countries. The paper notes how the traditional approach of structured training, while stilt valuable for those wishing to work at the specialist Level, needs to be combined with an approach that enables other workers to achieve competence in public health. This challenge is being met, in part, through provision of online resources and teaching, and the development of Teaching Public Health Networks. The challenges facing the UK are similar to those facing the public health sector in the USA. As such, the two countries can learn from one another in order to address this important workforce development issue. (C) 2008 The Royal Institute of Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.