The Institute of Public Administration (IPA) is the Irish national centre for development of best practice in public administration and public management.  It was founded in 1957 by a group of dedicated public servants in recognition of the need to promote the study of, and to improve the standards of public administration.

The IPA currently offers a wide range of services, which broadly cover education, training and development, research and publishing. Our services are delivered mainly to clients in the Irish Public Service, however we also have many students completing our programmes who work in the private sector and we have a strong reputation and demand for our services internationally. 

For over fifty years, the IPA has provided an extensive range of training and professional development programmes, consultancy, seminars and conferences that are specifically designed to meet the needs of management and staff of public sector bodies and publicly funded institutions.  It works in partnership with clients in the local government, health, civil service and state agency sectors to develop new skills and competencies.  Its programme design makes use of real work-based business issues to drive learning and development.  Courses can be held at the IPA’s Training and Education Centre in Ballsbridge, Dublin or in regional venues and client organisations.

The Institute’s professional training staff combine expertise in a specific discipline (eg. executive coaching, leadership, management, project management, service delivery, personal effectiveness, business planning and process reengineering, financial management, accounting, governance and risk management, procurement, internal audit, human resource management, mediation and information systems) with a deep understanding of the public sector.  A number of staff track policy development and practice in specific sectors and organise opportunities for discussion, debate and reflection on topical issues.

The Training and Development Division offers a suite of accredited certificate, diploma and professional level programmes addressing specific subject areas such as:

• Accountancy & Financial Management
• Change Management
• Civil Service & State Agency Studies
• Computer Studies/Information Systems and Technology
• Health Services Policy / Healthcare Management
• Human Resource Management
• Internal Audit and Governance
• Local Government Studies
• Management Development
• Mediation (Workplace & Organisational)
• Procurement
• Project Management
• Service Delivery

For further information about IPA Learning and Professional Development programmes, log onto the IPA website www.ipa.ie/training or contact the Training and Development Division on 01 240 3666 | information@ipa.ie.