You're right, Dennis, it's not black and white, and I'm not against formal training or education per se. However, I'm not sure if informal learning should morph into formal training either.

For instance, formal training, with performance objectives and all, is well-suited to addressing a clear lack of skills or knowledge, such as operating a piece of machinery. For areas of knowledge transfer that are less clear, such as how to deal with a specific client at a specific time, I don't think that formal training would be of much use.

I agree that you need both, but I'm an advocate of informal learning because we have focused for too long on the formal side.