A study explored the feasibility of research on the impact of flexible work patterns on the educational and training opportunities available to women in low-status jobs. Intended to provide a basis for a more informed discussion of policy questions pertaining to flexible worktime, the study involved a review of related literature, a series of informal interviews, and the collection of preliminary data at selected worksites during 1981. These sources of data confirm the fact that concern over declining productivity, together with demographic shifts and workers' changing values, have made it more important than ever to develop more effective opportunities for education and training and to expand the use of flexible work patterns. During the study, an examination was made of recent attempts at adjusting working hours for education and training such as the use of part time, combined part time and tuition aid, 40-hour flexible schedules, and informal flexibility. This examination revealed positive, albeit tentative, connections between flexible hours and employer-provided learning programs. However, it also suggests that this linkage will affect women in low-status jobs on a significant scale only if other conditions also prevail. Therefore, more comprehensive research on the impact of flexibility is needed. (MN)