Training programs are directed at the development of civil servant skills.  The targeted group is that of employees of middle executive levels, and the aim is to meet their training needs, improve their productive efficiency, and equip them with the knowledge, skills, and positive behavioral attitudes that lead to the development of administrative work.  The Institute of Public Adminis­tra­tion (IPA) designs these programs in accordance with government agency needs in general, and would be trainees are nominated by all agencies.

In-service training programs were among the earliest activities of the IPA, and this activity was preceded only by that of the consultative sector.  The IPA started to offer certain training programs in the training year 1962-63.  These covered the fields of public administration, office management, and accounting.  The number of trainees who completed their in-service training in that year was 275.

Because of the great demand and the increase in the number of offered programs, the IPA launched in the year 2000-01 a study to develop its training programs by fragmenting them into programs of shorter duration that focus, as much as possible, on a single skill or capability.  Certain programs of this type were offered to test how effective they would be and how useful to trainees and the agencies concerned.  Because of that, and in order to wait for results of the evaluation of the experiment, the design and development of some other programs was postponed that year.

Development of single-capability programs continued until the year 2004-05, which witnessed a radical development of training programs, as the IPA started to offer, partially, developed (single-capability) programs.  These are short-term, ranging in duration from two to ten days.  They focus on the development of skills relevant to the respective single training capability.  Several positive results are expected from such programs, such as managing to improve the effectiveness of training by developing the performance of a single task, as this approach allows deep focus in training on the knowledge and skills needed to perform job tasks without their interference or overlapping with each other.  Another expected result is the increase of trainees benefiting from the training programs offered by the IPA.  Moreover, trainer and trainee time is exploited more efficiently as a shorter time is needed to fulfill the goal of training; a high degree of trainee homogeny is realized in regards to job, educational, and experience level; and a great percentage of the needs of government agencies and trainees is met.  In addition, the new approach allows certain training programs to be conducted outside the IPA and at the premises of benefiting agencies.