The recession has left the public sector reeling from a series of budget reductions and deficits, leaving questions about the ability of some to develop best practice beyond those with paramount needs. A recent survey conducted by Gartner found that ITIL® delivered benefits to 97% of organisations that adopted the method, with 70% reporting that the improvements were very tangible.

"Global Knowledge has always had a good relationship with the public sector, and in view of the current challenges with budgets and discretionary spend, it seemed an appropriate time to give something back with no strings attached", explains Allan Pettman, UK managing director of Global Knowledge. "We hope that it provides a chance for those people who might not get approval to do the learning, to still have the opportunity."

The hosted portal allows trainees to access the material from wherever they are through a simple username and password access. This will not only give public-sector employees the chance to learn and develop at their leisure but also empower the agencies, departments, and governments they serve.

"This is an innovative approach from Global Knowledge, a company we have accredited for several products. They are one of the first providers of the new, complementary 'Analyst Series' of Service Management courses from APMG. We are all aware of the need to reduce government expenditure, and we hope this will give all departments the chance to access service- management training to continue creating processes and practices that drive efficiencies", explains Richard Pharro, CEO of APMG.