This guide, which is intended for businesspersons and/or labor representatives, contains guidelines and questions for determining whether prospective training providers have the skills to develop/deliver successful employee training programs tailored to a particular firm's needs. The guide is divided into eight sections. Section 1 explains the guide's purpose, defines employee training, and presents an overview of the guide's structure. Instruction on using the checklist is provided in section 2. Section 3 introduces questions pertaining to the following issues, which should constitute the core of an employee training interview: business objective, workplace requirements, employee needs, employee assessments, qualified staff, and evaluation as a way of ensuring training quality. Discussed in section 4 are the types of answers that interviewers should expect from the training providers interviewed. Sections 5 and 6 consist of an interview worksheet and comparison chart for recording/comparing the responses of the different training providers interviewed. In section 7, employee training is discussed within the larger context of work force and workplace change, and other products designed to help small and midsized companies effect change through employee training are listed. Section 8 contains lists of National Workforce Assistance Collaborative board and advisory group members. (MN)