This study carries out a preliminary assessment of the job training and retraining programmes implemented by a representative sample of crisis-affected countries. The review looks at how these programmes are re-connecting displaced workers and the long-term unemployed to the labour market, and how they help prepare workers for the types of jobs created by stimulus packages, including green jobs. The findings of this paper are based on the analysis of real-time evidence drawn from rigorous reviews of programme implementation, if not yet impact assessments, carried out by national government agencies. Views from employer’s organizations, trade units, bilateral agencies, international organizations and academic institutions complement this analysis. The review shows that in the midst of the economic crisis the operational factors contributing to an effective intervention depended on policy coordination, good communication among stakeholders, flexible training delivery mechanisms and institutional capabilities.