The Extension Committee on Organization and Policy's National Task Force on Cooperative Extension Inservice Training (1959) identified nine major areas of compentency considered important for all extension workers. It concluded that after the induction period, training for experienced workers should enlist the abilities of the participants themselves to a greater degree in a problem-solving approach. An examination of programs has indicated, however, that much of the inservice training for experienced workers calls for mere absorption of information presented in talks or lectures. The available, though limited, research and material on extension inservice training seems to show that inservice training programs are primarily meeting the technical subject matter needs of agents but are not adequately addressing other identified competency needs. Studies that have assessed the perceived needs of extension agents and focused on the identified nine major areas of training have revealed that technical knowledge has consistently been ranked high. Agents' felt needs for training have also tended to relate strongly to the competency area of communication. The literature seems to indicate that quality inservice training programs in other competency areas beside technical subject matter competencies must be developed and offered to extension staff. (YLB)