When training must be delivered quickly, needs assessment remains crucial despite time pressures. Quick ways to conduct needs assessment include interviews with key staff, analysis of information gathered for other purposes, and use of the World Wide Web. (SK)

If the learning organization is ever to become a reality and if employees are to be continuous learners, the notion of self-directed learning has to move beyond the buzzword phase and become a major force in employee training. (Author)

Jobs in the future will demand a more skilled and literate work force than we have. One solution to the basic skills problem lies in job-related, accomplishment-focused programs that benefit the organization and the employee. (JOW)

Ways to overcome resistance to investing employee time in training include making training fit the available time, persuading management of the benefits, reexamining assumptions about teaching and learning, and switching from training to performance support. (SK)

Documents Shell Oil's success with interactive video training (IVT) and identifies the costs involved in this long-term investment. Provides guidelines for judging the effectiveness of IVT programs. (SK)