What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country)?
The Composite Learning Index (CLI) developed by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) assesses the state of lifelong learning over time using the conceptual framework of lifelong learning proposed by UNESCO’s International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century (Delors et al, 1996, as cited in Saisana, 2008).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
The Composite Learning Index (CLI) collected annual data on the progress in lifelong learning among the Canadian population. It was based on a combination of 17 indicators and 26 specific measures used to reflect on formal, non-formal, and informal ways of learning
The Index was organized thematically under
UNESCO’s four ‘pillars of learning’:
- Learning to know,
- Learning to do,
- Learning to live together,
- Learning to be.
Learning to know involves the development of knowledge and skills needed to function in the world. These skills include literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.
Learning to do involves the acquisition of skills often linked to occupational success, such as computer training, managerial training and apprenticeships.
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
The Canadian Council of Learning received its funding from the Government of Canada; in 2010, the funding was discontinued
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?
The only index of its kind in the world, the CLI was an unprecedented measurement tool to express how learning in all aspects of life is critical to the success of individuals, communities and the country as a whole. On an individual level, Canadians stand to benefit from lifelong learning through higher wages, better job prospects, improved health and more fulfilling lives. Accordingly, Canada stands to gain through a more resilient economy and stronger bonds within and between communities.
Although most Canadians are aware of the potential benefits of lifelong learning, until CCL launched the CLI in 2006 there was no way of measuring how Canadians were performing across the full spectrum of learning. To reflect this broad perspective, the CLI used a wide range of learning indicators to generate numeric scores for more than 4,500 communities across Canada. A high CLI score meant that a particular city, town or rural community possessed the kinds of learning conditions that foster social and economic well-being. A low CLI score meant that a community was under-performing in certain aspects that are key to lifelong learning.
These scores were not meant to single out 'winners' and 'losers', but rather helped Canadians understand the state of lifelong learning in their communities and encouraged them to think of concrete ways to improve on these conditions
Learning to live together involves the development of social skills and values such as respect and concern for others, social and inter-personal skills and an appreciation of the diversity of Canadians.
Learning to be involves activities that foster personal development (body, mind and spirit) and contribute to creativity, personal discovery and an appreciation of the inherent value provided by these pursuits
Each of the 17 indicators represented a different facet of lifelong learning in Canada, such as Youth Literacy Skills, which falls under the Learning to Know pillar. Each indicator could include more than one specific measure.
References:
Canadian Council on Learning. 2010. The 2010 Composite Learning Index. Five years of measuring Canada's progress in lifelong learning, Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Council on Learning.
International Bureau of Education. 2020. The Composite Learning Index and European Lifelong Learning Indicators. [online]
Available at: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/geqaf/annexes/technical-notes/composite-learning-index-and-european-lifelong-learning-indicators [Accessed 27 August 2020].
Maclean's. 2010. CCL Loses Funding. [online]
Available at: https://www.macleans.ca/education/uniandcollege/ccl-loses-funding/ [Accessed 27 August 2020].
Saisana, M. 2008. 2007 Composite Learning Index: Robustness issues and critical assessment, Luxembourg: European Commission Joint Research Centre.