Evil Genius FAQ

Training room
  All the objects that go in this room are used to convert your minions from 
  one type to another.  In order to convert a minion from Type A to Type B, 
  you must have one person of type B available already, and the appropriate 
  object in the training room for them to use to teach the type A minion.

  Unlock the training room by capturing a maid and interrogating her.  All the
  advanced classes require you to capture someone from the world map and 
  interrogate them.  That will turn the interrogating minion into the advanced
  class, and you can then train more.  If all of one advanced class dies, 
  you'll have to go out and capture more.  It looks like you can do the 
  'capture X class' missions as much as you like.

  The mouse maze increases the minions attention stat if they're in 
  range.  1 minion can be trained at a time on each item, and requires 1 
  trainer to do it.

  All the initial training gear doesn't use much space, so your first 
  training room can be fairly small.  You should either put it way back in 
  your base, or build a separate room back there for anything but school 
  desks, basic labs and chalkboards.

  Punchbag             - Turns workers into guards
  Heavy Shooting Range - Turns guards into mercs
  Shooting Range       - Turns mercs into marksmen
  Dojo                 - Turns mercs into martial artists

  School chair         - Turns workers into valets
  TV Studio            - Turns valets into spindoctors
  Diplomat Trainer     - Turns spindoctors into diplomats
  Playboy Trainer      - Turns spindoctors into playboys
  
  Workshop             - Turns workers into technicians
  Chalkboard           - Turns technicians into scientists
  Biochem Workshop     - Turns scientists into Biochemists
  Electron Microscope  - Turns scientists into Quantum Physicists