Kazakhstan is one of the few countries in Central Asia in a historically short period of time managed to take strong positions in the international arena. However, under the conditions of rapidly changing world, the country has to face challenges driven by new requirements to civil servants professional level. Therefore, the 100 Steps Government Agenda approved in 2015 establishes "The Formation of a Professional Government" as a significant priority. This requires improving approaches to training of civil servants. The purpose of the article is to examine the evolution of the civil service training system in Kazakhstan and explore recent training innovations. The article is based on the analysis of the Civil Service Law, the materials provided by the Ministry for Civil Service Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MCSA) and the findings of a survey conducted to identify training needs and effectiveness of training at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (APA).