The contribution of competency-based training (CBT) to the development of an adaptable and flexible workforce was examined by analyzing documents and gathering data from teachers, industry representatives, enterprises, and students in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan sites in two Australian states: Victoria and Queensland. The study focused on CBT's educational worth in the metals and hospitality industries and its influence on educational practice. The degree to which CBT itself can be identified as contributing to development of an adaptable, flexible workforce was concluded to be problematic and less significant than the contributions of the broader vocational education and training reform movement and the instructional and curriculum practices that existed before CBT's introduction. Antagonism between CBT and the development of adaptability and flexibility was discovered and attributed to CBT's focus on outcomes rather than process. A series of recommendations for boosting CBT's contribution to development of an adaptable, flexible workforce by modifying existing curricula, assessment, and teaching practice were offered. The recommendations related to curriculum focused on intents, content, and the quality of learning experiences. The recommendations regarding assessment addressed validity, reliability, and incentives for learning. The recommendations regarding teachers' practice emphasized broadening and deepening teachers' knowledge. (MN)