This paper provides insights into relationships between formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and other types of on-the-job training in manufacturing companies in four Asian (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) and two African (Ethiopia and South Africa) countries. There are two components to the contribution. The first is that when different occupational levels and stages (pre- or in-employment training) are considered, we see a more nuanced picture of TVET than the common bleak story. Uptake of qualifications at the hiring stage follows an occupational hierarchy, from general worker to operator to technician, but with some differences by industry and country. Our study suggests that companies that take training seriously appear to do so across different types of training, and in some cases, formal TVET appears to be part of a broader training regime of companies. The second contribution draws on critical reflection on methodological choices made at various points of the research, and an analysis of the messiness and difficulties we encountered in the research process. We argue that the terminology available to differentiate different types of training are limited in understanding and analysing as well as developing potential policy interventions for training in low- and middle-income countries.