An unusual cooperation between the local university and other education providers in East Anglia has seen the establishment of Norwich's new Learning Shop. At the city center shop, local people can look through booklets and leaflets to find out about learning opportunities ranging from evening classes to postgraduates (研究生) degrees. Skilled staffs are on hand to give accurate information about courses and training in the region.
More than 11,000 people have visited the shop since it opened in 1997. The majority of inquiries have been about courses in further education, but 17 percent have related to higher education in general.
Customer feedback (反馈) confirms how valuable the resource is. A woman's comment is typical: "It's a brilliant idea - less daunting than going to the different institutions." A seller told us: "This really gives you hope you can get back into something."
Fellow institutions are welcome to set up exhibitions and events at the shop: to date, these have included poetry readings, a recorder concert and numerous exhibitions and displays. The shop is staffed by two advisers and other colleagues from the fellow institutions in the region.
Speaking at the "Norwich as a Learning City" conference, Prof. Mike Campell at the local university, said the first barrier (障碍) to learning was lack of information. The Learning Shop aims to break down that barrier.