Key points for the future

The final plenary session, led by Duncan Sones, reflected on the multitude of key messages to emerge from the workshops. Summarising "1200 hours of person power" was no easy matter, and these are just some of the key points which will be setting the agenda for the Learning City Network over the coming months:

For practitioners:

• Practitioners need to work:
  • to ensure that communities feel empowered;
  • with and for communities, with a clear shared agenda;
  • through the tensions between the city and the wider region; and
  • to anticipate private sector demand for learning.

• People have clear ideas about where they want to learn and the people they want to learn with - how do we ensure that we respond to that?

• How do we promote the links between lifelong learning and active citizenship?

• How can we use ICT as a hook for wider learning?

• Practitioners should involve learners in the evaluation processes.

• On marketing, clear messages and targeted information are required.

For the Network:

• There are too many initiatives and schemes with similar aims. Document these and make recommendations for rationalisation.

• Ensure that funding is led by a combination of demand and need.

• Clarify and codify what is meant by good practice and prepare clear plans for making good practice into common practice.

• Support programmes of capacity building amongst the Network.

• Help to clarify messages on common purpose.

• Be clear, as a Network, about the evaluation techniques that are appropriate.

• Identify different models of partnerships to aid evaluation and networking.

• Work to shared definitions.

• Keep the lifelong learning agenda inclusive.

• Identify ways to simplify funding streams.

• Advocate messages that people are at the heart of the urban renaissance.

• Develop new models to support networking and different approaches to networking.

• Make sure that the LCN is fully inclusive and that it represents the broad range of practice.