The role of formal and informal learning

• Institutions need to develop closer working relationships with professionals from the cultural and creative industries.

Thanet College has increasing links with businesses but this could go further.

• Consortiums can help develop relationships between the two sectors.
• Starting up new courses are expensive and time consuming.
• As institutions are becoming more demand lead is becomes harder to introduce new courses when there is little understanding of the demand for them.
• Informal learning in partnership with the formal sector can offer an insight into the demand for such courses and make a direct contribution to the cultural vision.

How can the formal and informal learning sectors be dovetailed to interface more effectively?

• Wider age groups and demographics need to be considered:
• Offer life-long learning for older generations.
• Provide learning opportunities for disengaged children and young people.
• Offer skills development to those unemployed or on benefit.
• Institutions can share activities where parents and children, communities can be creative together.
• A parent or adult can learn from a child’s creativity.There needs to be better communication between institutions so not to replicate projects and perpetuate the nature of social divide in Thanet.
• There needs to be a more developed relationship with the local press so they can start sharing positive aspects of Margate and encourage visitor even from neighbouring towns.