The role of education in the human development of rural areas is considered by some to be the single most important thing that can be done to raise rural standards of living. Recognizing this need, the Federal government has sponsored three types of training programs relative to rural development; each is the responsibility of a different agency. Career and Vocational programs sponsored by the Office of Education use half a billion dollars annually on preparation of students for nearly all nonprofessional occupations. Employment training programs under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) include the Comprehensive Manpower Services, the Migrant Farmworker Program, the Native American Program, and the Job Corps. With a budget of 4.5 billion in 1976, these programs delivered such services as recruitment, counseling, training, placement assistance, and employment to those who could not find work. Extension programs deliver education in the categories of agriculture and natural resources, home economics, 4-H youth and community resource development. This paper reviews implementation of the three types of education training programs in rural settings and discusses problems encountered both in terms of internal operation and external conditions. The analysis concludes with alternative policy directions as reflected in the literature on rural education training. (DS)