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Public services are being asked to do difficult things at speed. Departments must improve productivity, adopt artificial intelligence responsibly, manage risk, reduce waste and still deliver better outcomes for citizens. In that environment, training only matters if it helps people solve real delivery problems.

That is the shift APMG International is seeing through its work with government, public bodies and professional communities. People are not looking for training as a stand-alone activity. They are looking for confidence, structure and a common way of working. Often the real need is much more practical: we do not have a consistent process; we are struggling to make investment decisions; we need better governance; we need people to understand the same method and apply it well.

The APMG Skills and Capability Survey 2026 supports that view. The survey, which captured responses from over 1000 professionals, revealed that 82% of respondents said their organisation would benefit from a recognised certification pathway, a common standard or recognised certification, with 87% rating a professional certification as essential or important.

The findings matter because they echo the wider challenge facing government. Skills England’s Annual Skills Report 2026 highlights a skills system under pressure from shortages, artificial intelligence and changing workforce needs. It also notes that employers want training that is relevant, up to date and aligned to workforce needs. For public services, that alignment is critical. Capability gaps are not abstract. They show up as delayed projects, weak business cases, inconsistent decision- making and services that do not improve as quickly as citizens need.

The survey’s top challenge signals were practical and operational. In Project, Programme and Portfolio Management, the strongest challenge was skills development. In Business, Leadership and Change, it was resistance to change. In IT Governance and Service Management, it was risk and control. In Cyber Security, AI and Digital Skills, it was skills gaps. In Public Private Partnerships, it was project preparation.

Because the questions were tailored by category, these are the top challenges within each category rather than a single overall ranking. Even so, the pattern is clear: professionals are connecting training and certification to real organisational needs.

This is why APMG International’s role in public sector accreditation, certification and capability development matters. Public sector organisations need more than knowledge transfer. Public sector workers need shared standards, trusted frameworks and repeatable capability. That is very different from sending people on a course and hoping the learning sticks.

Government has always used external expertise where specialist insight or independent challenge is needed. The National Audit Office has made the same distinction in its work on consultancy: external advisers can add value when they bring specialist expertise or an external perspective, but they should not replace the capability that government needs to retain in-house.

That distinction is important. The aim should not be endless dependence on external advice. It should be to build public sector teams that are better equipped to judge options, challenge assumptions and work confidently with suppliers, advisers and delivery partners.

Professional certification can help with this when it is linked to recognised standards and practical application. It gives individuals a way to demonstrate knowledge. It gives employers a more consistent way to develop capability. It gives departments and agencies a shared language for good practice. Most importantly, it supports internal confidence: the ability to ask better questions before money, time and public trust are committed.

APMG International’s public sector heritage is directly relevant here. Its origins sit in UK government improvement work. In 1993, it was awarded a contract by the UK Government to develop a training and certification scheme for a new project management standard designed to improve delivery across government. Today, APMG International has more than 30 years of experience, has delivered more than two million exams, and works through a global network of more than 500 Accredited Training Organisations.

Better Business Cases Certification by APMG shows how this works in practice. The UK Government’s Green Book sets out how to appraise costs, benefits and risks, and recommends the Five Case Model as the standard framework for developing robust business cases for projects and programmes. Better Business Cases provides government with a proven framework for making informed, transparent and evidence-based investment decisions. It helps organisations demonstrate value for money, manage risk, align spending with strategic priorities and ensure public funds are used effectively. By creating a consistent approach to decision-making, it improves accountability, confidence and the likelihood of successful project outcomes.

This matters because business cases are not paperwork. They are the discipline behind public investment. A weak case can allow a preferred solution to move forward before the problem is properly understood. A strong case forces teams to test strategic need, value for money, commercial viability, affordability and deliverability before a decision is made.

Dr Joe Flanagan, a leading authority on the Five Case Model, has put the issue simply: “The issue isn’t writing the business case, it’s thinking it through.” He has also warned that too many proposals are written retrospectively, after a direction has already been chosen. That is exactly the kind of capability problem government cannot afford. It is cheaper to challenge assumptions on paper than to discover them during delivery.

The impact of better capability can be significant. Joseph Lowe, Head of Economics Branch at HM Treasury, has said that the Welsh Government saved 30-40% of time in producing the proposal methodology after the Better Business Cases programme was launched in 2013, adding that training was key and that more people were following best practice. In the NHS, Peter Cox, Programme Director at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, described the learning as essential in developing a new hospital and keeping business cases robust, evidence-based and aligned to best practice.

The public sector is entering a capability economy. Job titles, organisational charts and past experience still matter, but they do not always show whether teams have the practical skills needed to deliver change. Public bodies need to know what capability they have, where the gaps are, and which standards or pathways can help close them.

The APMG Skills and Capability Survey 2026 suggests that professionals value recognised pathways, common standards, independent credibility and practical guidance. They are looking for ways to make capability visible and usable.

For government, this is not only a learning and development issue. It is a productivity issue, a delivery issue and a value-for-money issue. The right training and certification will not solve every challenge. But it can help teams move from informal knowledge to shared practice; from isolated expertise to organisational capability; and from compliance to better decisions.

APMG International works with government bodies, framework owners and subject matter experts to turn proven methods into trusted certification pathways which help public sector professionals build the confidence, consistency and judgement needed to deliver better outcomes for the people they serve.

Explore how APMG International can support your public sector team with recognised certification pathways, accredited training options and practical capability development.