Alternative Education -- Virtual Classrooms

"Online training cannot, and does not, replace on-site training where the trainees have the ability to ask questions of a real, live person," Jankowski admits. "In addition, packaged online training cannot address workflow-specific issues that differ from facility to facility."

Although online training is gaining popularity, Workman states that PIA/GATF has not experienced a big drop in attendance at its live conference sessions. In fact, he reveals that the association's conferences did quite well in 2004, and so far in 2005, its workshop attendance is ahead of last year.