A number of factors influence the motivations of employers to train their workforce and the ways in which they engage with the training system. This study combines a national survey and interviews with Australian employers and registered training organisations (RTOs) to provide a comprehensive picture of the way in which employers navigate the Australian training system and how partnerships with RTOs are established. The study also provides insight into how practices have evolved over the last 20 years. Key messages include: (1) Despite changes to the business and vocational training policy environments, the reasons why employers train their employees have altered only slightly over the past 20 years; (2) There is an enhanced focus on quality and partnerships with some changes that are outlined in this report; (3) Employers train their employees to improve the quality of goods and services because of new technology; as a business strategy; and to meet licensing and workplace health and safety requirements. (4) Employers want to provide more training for their employees but are constrained by the time it takes and the financial resources required; (5) Partnerships between industry and RTOs bring a range of benefits to both parties, but the financial benefits to RTOs are generally quite modest; and (6) Employers use both TAFE (technical and further education) and private RTOs as their main source of information about vocational education and training (VET) and increasingly use them as "navigators" of the VET sector in collaborative partnerships. The research clearly shows that nationally recognised training is valuable to employers and has many "spin-off" effects. It confirmed recent directions by governments to encourage the use of such training. The redeveloped models described in this report may aid future planning and policy by governments in relation to employer training and partnerships between RTOs and industry. Appended are: (1) Copy of questionnaire: employer survey; (2) Copy of questionnaire: RTO survey; (3) RTO-industry telephone interview questions; (4) Employer survey: overall results; (5) RTO survey: overall results; and (6) RTO survey: summary results by organisation type.