From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishformal education/training/qualificationsformal education/training/qualificationsSEeducation etc in a subject or skill, that you receive in a school, college etc rather than practical experience of it knowledge and wisdom gained from experience rather than from formal education → formal
Examples from the Corpus
formal education/training/qualifications• Mekki had little formal education, a bullying manner and a longshoreman's fondness for obscenity.• Not only did the managers gain skills and knowledge from formal training, but they also augmented their networks of relationships.• Yet there is undoubtedly a very positive value placed on formal education by black families.• We believe that formal training in the use of the laryngeal mask would be beneficial to any physician dealing with such cases.• Then, of course, the whole process of formal education is a crucial socialising agency.• The ritualistic quality of the formal training programs was not lost on the neW managers.• But today students need more formal education to learn the academic skills that increasingly are required on the job.• Entry-level budget analysts may receive some formal training when they begin their jobs. 