Private distance teaching institutions have existed as long as public ones and continue to be major providers in most countries.

The variety of private institutions continues to grow and change as the needs for continuing education and training grow and change. Driving this expansion have been several factors, including:

• The perceived need of private companies to deliver specialized training programs
• The need of many such companies to offer the training nationally or internationally
• The technological advances that have made such offerings feasible.

Regulating private distance teaching institutions is difficult, particularly for governments in developing countries. The regulatory issues involved are becoming an increasingly important public policy matter.