involves less time away from the workplace is an advantage; against this, the extent to which resources are available or can be developed for planning learning programmes, mentoring, and assessment remains unanswered.Finally, the area of assessment raises questions in its own right. A measure of the attainment of the workforce is desirable at national policy level. Individuals also see benefit in acquiring recognised qualifications. Employers, however, may be rather more sanguine about financing qualifications for staff in employment. Additionally, where competence is to be measured, there needs to be an allocation of resource to carry out assessment in the workplace.The final proposition for work-based learning is that it will successfully develop in organisations which already possess sophisticated HRD strategies, can offer facilitative HRD resources, and (for purposes of national measurement) will encourage employees to gain recognised qualifications.4:9The Implications for CPDThe arguments I have used are perhaps not well founded in terms of conventional academic research. They are personal and meant to be provocative. I have suggested that effective CPD should Be related to economic aims at individual and organisation levels Be ‘vertically integrated’ allowing substantially more people to acquire high level skills Be primarily defined by the individual rather than the organisation And be a function of opportunity and learning support.5:0TKA And How They Have Adapted To The EnvironmentThere has been growing recognition throughout the 1990s that the financial measures of performance that companies have traditionally used are inappropriate for manufacturing businesses (Geanuracos and Meiklejohn, 1993) with there being many cited examples as to what are the specific limitations:“Many companies now recognise that their cost systems are inadequate for today’s powerful competition. ...