As countries modernise and ascend their development trajectories, their focus often shifts from informal to more formalised forms of education/training. Substantial portions of a nation's GDP are budgeted towards the formalisation and universalisation of education whilst informal education slips out of the foreground. However, in the New Economy where the volatile global environment has reorganised production methods and necessitated new/changing skills requirements, a paradigm shift in education, learning and training has occurred. In the New Economy, the boundaries between informal and formal learning have collapsed and become blurred as they co-exist to supplement and complement each other in the learning process. Against this backdrop, this paper illustrates the blurring boundaries between informal and formal learning in Malaysia's key services sector, banking. This study administered a qualitative research method. A purposeful sampling method was used to interview employees in 12 branches located in the two study sites (i.e. Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown) identified for this research. In showcasing the dynamics of 'formalising the informal' ways of learning, this paper contends that the re-emergence of informal learning is critical to fill the gaps and inadequacies of the formal education system. © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.
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