Having previously spent 7 & 1/2 years working in local government training I can really identify with this post. No matter what it was called training/ learning /OD essentially we were there for the following reason you stated above "If something REALLY goes wrong, the fact that someone had been through a training program means the organization is off the hook.". We were generally valued only in the respect of keeping these records.

I have found the same things in the retail sector as well.