A community initiative (called ADAPT) was intended to help the workforce in European Union countries to adapt to industrial change and prepare for the information society, as well as to promote growth, employment, and the competitiveness of companies in the countries. Between 1995 and 1999, 4,000 projects were funded to transform the ways in which small firms, the organizations that support them, and workers themselves respond to industrial change. An assessment of the ADAPT initiative was structured around the six key messages suggested by the European Commission's "Memorandum on Lifelong Learning," and a study that summarized 60 case studies from the assessment centered on these key messages: the importance of basic skills, investing in human resources, improving delivery and enabling interactivity, valuing experience, more guidance and less teaching, and individual solutions for small business needs. The document contains practical solutions offered from projects in these areas. Lists of acronyms, suggestions for further reading, a project list, and a glossary of terms are included in appendixes to the report. (KC)