Hello Harold - I was very interested to read your article as it has a resonance with work I have been developing in Scotland. The Scottish Training Network was established 9 years ago as a ‘bridge’ between the FE colleges & HEIs in Scotland and the cultural sector. To give just one example of how I think we are addressing the challenges you outline - Our Network Ensemble provides real workplace learning for acting, technical & design students drawn from the Network colleges, working collaboratively with professionals and meeting real deadlines, in the unique learning environment of the Edinburgh Fringe. It also introduces these students to their (cultural) sector’s global network at exactly the time they need it - the year they graduate. We evaluated this work last year & the impact on the participants confidence, sector knowledge & network building was significant.