Foundational Training Programme for Indian Economic Service Probationers (30 June – 4 July 2025)
The Indian Economic Service (IES) probationers participated in a weeklong Foundational Training Programme from 30th June to 4th July 2025, aimed at strengthening their capacity in evidence-based policy formulation and strategic economic thinking.
This comprehensive programme was designed to provide a robust grounding in key areas essential to effective public policy analysis and formulation. The curriculum was structured around four core streams:
Economic Reasoning
Public Policy Craft
Policy Communications
8-Fold Path to Policy Analysis
Throughout the week, participants engaged in intensive sessions that blended conceptual learning with hands-on application. The programme featured simulation exercises on stakeholder analysis and policy communication, offering practical experience in navigating real-world policy dynamics.
Additional training in data visualisation, public communication, and policy writing further helped participants build the skills necessary to develop and convey compelling, evidence-based policy recommendations.
The officers applied their learnings and used a structured 8-step method to solve some of India’s pressing policy problems:
Improving Urban Infrastructure in India
Increasing Women’s Labour Force Participation
Formulating India’s Strategy on Chinese Investments
These problem-based exercises challenged participants to apply rigorous analytical tools, evaluate trade-offs, and craft actionable policy solutions aligned with India’s development goals.
The participants also had a comprehensive training on crafting compelling content from engaging blogs, newsletters, and op-eds to impactful formal writing like issue briefs and discussion documents.
The Foundational Training Programme reaffirmed the commitment to nurturing a cadre of economists ready to tackle the complex policy challenges of the future with clarity, competence, and confidence.
