The public service in central and eastern Europe has to adapt to an enormous number of changes in a very short time. The staff is faced with a constantly changing regulatory framework which needs implementation and enforcement, as well as new demands from the growing private sector and the citizenry at large. These challenges can only be met if the staff is highly qualified and constantly updating their qualifications. A sound system of in-service training is therefore crucial to keep the personnel within the public service on equal footing with the rapidly changing environment. This short paper is meant to point out the determining components of training systems, and advantages and disadvantages of possible solutions as they were developed in OECD countries, in order to assist countries in central and eastern Europe to set up a sound training system, while avoiding mistakes already experienced in OECD countries.