I've found that many employers already have software applications and infrastructure in place, so sometimes we're stuck with a one size fits all approach until we can persuade folks that other tools might work better to meet learning outcomes. By keeping up with several programs, I've have some success in making the case for investing in tools that help meet budget, timeline, learner's needs, and training goals. A suggestion would be to become familiar with many of the most popular products on the market. Most software companies offer a free trial period, and many have pretty decent online support and training. Each program will have its strength and weaknesses with regard to developing eLearning. I like to check out the user forums to find out what the major problems users are having to deal with before I buy. To add to the suggestions above I would add Camtasia as a screen recording tool, Snagit for screen captures, and any of the excellent audio and video processing programs on the market. You might also want to become familiar with mobile learning, blogging and podcasting applications. Good luck!

Let me first echo everyone else: First and foremost, ISD. Develop good training regardless of tool used. Analogous to being a good carpenter regardless of using a beat-up old hammer or the newest powertool on the market- both acheive the same end.

Now, being very pragmatic: concrete skills in tools are critical in the market.
For LMS systems, if you learn the top systems (Moodle and SumTotal by growth and installation)- you can branch these experiences to other systems. Start with Moodle, because it's free- and then the trial of SumTotal, which will have a limited window. Warning: LMS systems generally have steep learning curves.

For courseware development, Flash skills will get you through anything, but it's got a pretty steep learning curve, and is not 100% an e-learning tool. Other big movers in the market include Captivate, Lectora, and Articulate. All have trials, and in my opinion, have decent opportunity to acclimate to the tool during a trial use.

Good luck. Many, many, many tools/systems out there, but exposure to these really show how most in the marketing "think/operate" and will give you good experience.

But, again, a great tool will never fix bad design. Superior ISD can be executed in almost any tool.

Regarding the various software mentioned, look at Lectora as a shell in which other files are imported. These include:

published Flash and Captivate files (SWF format)
various graphic images (JPG, PNG, GIF, etc.)
audio (MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)
video (WMV, MPEG, MOV, etc.)

You can generate testing within Lectora, and it interacts with an LMS - you can send testing, bookmarking, etc., information to the LMS. But starting from scratch and creating your own template could require a learning curve (but worth it).

While you can import audio into Lectora, if you are trying to have any sort of synchronization, it is better to import the audio into something like Flash, time it there with the animation and publish. One method is to use WAV 44k mono and let Flash compress. This does result large Flash source files (FLA format), but the resulting published files (SWF format) are manageable. You can also experiment with other audio formats at various qualities. The better it sounds, the larger the file (FLA and SWF). There has to be a meeting point of acceptable quality AND file size.

Agree with Splayer.

Easy to use is really a import point when choosing the eLearning authoring tools. I like Articulate tools which Sheldon recommended. They could create Professional looking presentations from PowerPoint. But maybe a little difficult for the newbies.

As I know, Wondershare Rapid eLearning Suite with the similar function of Articulate, but it seems more easier. And also the budget could be lower.

Hope it helps,
Sabrina