Many communities have seen the idea of the learning city as a vital opportunity to respond creatively to the forces of change which they have been facing. These include local government reorganisation as well as the deeper processes of social and economic restructuring. Commitment to the concept of learning provides a process of reflecting upon strategies to manage change.

How have Learning City initiatives been started? Looking at those places in the UK which call themselves "Learning Cities", the ways in which initiatives have begun have been almost as various as the places themselves. There are a number of key elements that seem necessary. These are shown below, with examples.

• Key Individuals - individuals seem to be important in two ways: (1) those who believe in the idea of the learning city and who start to persuade others to consider the idea and (2) those powerful individuals who can give an initiative credibility within the community by their support and patronage.

  Thetford developed the idea of the "Learning Curve". They were convinced that the idea of the learning community would help to improve lifelong learning opportunities and develop skills levels in a town which was looking to attract inward investment.

• Key Institutions - the adoption of the idea of the learning community by a particular institution, and the leadership and support provided by that institution, is crucial to building the initiative in its early stages. Although partnerships may develop, the groundwork has to be undertaken and resourced. TECs, universities and local authorities have all played this role.

  In Southampton, the idea of the Learning City is part of the strategy of the new unitary authority. Although other partners are involved, the authority takes the lead on this issue with the Executive Director of Education taking a lead role.

• A Core Group - the idea has to capture the enthusiasm of influential people and be taken on by a specific institution. Then time has to be devoted to drafting papers, convening meetings, networking with potential contacts and sponsors. An embryonic organisation will need to be created. This will include an advisory or steering group composed of key organisations in the city or town. Membership of such an advisory or steering group will involve willingness to commit time, and possibly other resources, to enable the fledgling initiative to get off the ground.

  The initial core group for the Norwich initiative was small. It comprised the City Council, College, University, TEC and Adult Education Service.

  The starting point in Sheffield was a series of public seminars. The outputs of these resulted in a project with the University of Sheffield and the City Council to promote and research the impact of family literacy.

• Wider Interests - The germ of an idea, even if a small number of influential people are drawn to it, will only really take hold if the wider community is persuaded of its validity and significance. The task of developing support from the wider community suggests the importance of seminars and conferences which can engender the necessary groundswell of enthusiasm. These events can be accompanied by consultation strategies to test the degrees of support for the idea of the learning city. A conference can be followed up by a feedback questionnaire to test opinions.

  Nottingham held a large conference to ask the wider community for their views on the viability and usefulness of a Learning City initiative. They received widespread support and some suggestions from their conference.

• Launch events - sometimes overlapping with consultation conferences. Following a period of development work and consultation, the preparations may lead to a formal launch event with significant media coverage.

  After twelve months of development work, Hull went public with the launch of their initiative at a conference with national speakers and an audience of over 400. This provided the impetus for the initiative and the launch of their learning plan.

• Key Employers - the involvement of employers develops and maintains a focus on workplace learning. It enables the local business community to participate in and influence plans to add to local regeneration efforts.

  In Durham City, the Steering Group focused on learning issues which affect employers. Research yielded information about training needs and four areas in which to concentrate efforts were identified.

  In Darlington, a conference to widen the concept to the whole community was attended by key employers who highlighted the ways in which they could become involved.