The JV has a New Name: Axelos

On July 1, 2013, the joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Capita was officially born under the name Axelos.  For sure, it’s an odd name for the new organization that will manage a best practice portfolio that includes ITIL and Prince2.  However, if you look a little deeper, perhaps the meaning unveils the direction that Axelos ultimately wants to take.

From the outset, the joint venture has sent strong signals about its interest in game based learning and gamification.  This has been evidenced by

• Capita’s acquisition of G2G3, a provider of simulations. G2G3 is not officially owned by Axelos.
• The naming of Peter Hepworth as CEO.  Peter comes from the video game industry.
• The brand Axelos, which pays homage to a philosopher who focused on the concept of “play”.

Clearly, the future innovations that have been mentioned in multiple interviews will include a stronger emphasis on games in the classroom.

ITSM  Academy also believes in the power of play – we introduced game based learning into our classrooms about a year ago.   As I previously blogged,  our Game On: An Interactive Learning Experience approach has been met with enormous enthusiasm from both learners and trainers.   

Gaming is good but Axelos’ first efforts should be to ensure that the transition is smooth and the needs of the service management market are met.  Remember, nothing is changing from a learner’s perspective.  The ITIL scheme and books are not scheduled for an update and APMG and Axelos will operate in parallel until year-end.    

I will continue to blog more information as it becomes available.