The opportunities and limitations of a sectoral approach to training research and policy were examined through the commissioning and analysis of reports on trends and issues in five European countries: Belgium; France; Germany; Greece; and the Netherlands. Special attention was paid to the opportunities of sectoral initiatives for small and medium-size companies and the interconnectedness of training initiatives and the social dialogue between employer and employee associations. "Sector" was defined broadly as an economic and sociopolitical category. The prospects for a sectoral approach in training research were said to be favorable because the relevance of a sectoral approach will likely increase in the coming years as a result of a general trend to decentralize training. Practical opportunities for applying a sectoral approach to training research were found to differ strongly from country to country and from sector to sector within countries. After an examination of the possible roles of individual firms, company networks, professional associations, and regional-sectoral partnerships in formation and implementation of sectoral policies training, it was concluded that sectoral training policies should be connected and completed with training initiatives at the subsectoral and cross-sectoral levels. A conceptual model for analyzing sectoral training systems was proposed. (Contains 41 references.) (MN)