Author: Great Britain. Further Education Unit

Publisher:

Published: 1990-01-01

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 9781853381942

The project described in this report aimed to develop an effective and affordable educational marketing strategy in one local British continuing education provider, as a case study for adult and continuing education nationally. Methods employed were as follows: a marketing consultant visited education centers; business and community directories were created; a representative sample of existing students was surveyed; and focus groups with manual workers sought the workers' opinions on adult education. Among the findings and conclusions were the following: (1) using a variety of sites for adult education permits developing the individual "personality" of each center to attract different sectors of the community; (2) adults expect greater comfort and more attractive surroundings than do school children; (3) strategic planning is required to ensure maximum impact from promotional materials, relative to the time and resources available to develop them; (4) a system for monitoring the materials' impact should be developed; (5) establishing corporate identity raises the profile of an adult education center; (6) a continuing program of research and efforts to secure cooperation and/or sponsorships from local companies, newspapers, and publications should be carried out to inform product development; (7) existing courses might be "repositioned" so as to appeal more directly to new and existing markets; (8) staff should be made aware of their function and value within the context of public relations; (9) the success rate for re-enrolling existing students is likely to be greater than in attracting new students; (10) flexible scheduling is important; and (11) promotional materials should stress the benefits of enrollment. (CML)