What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
The Community Learning Board (CLB) was established as an advisory committee to the City Council of Melton, Australia. It acts as a mediator between the community and the council, providing recommendations to the council on lifelong education based on consultations with the community. The board elicits the opinions, needs and demands of the local community that will ensure social, cultural and economic development through lifelong learning. Members of CLB are appointed every four years or for the duration of a Community Learning Plan (UIL, 2015).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
After deciding to create a lifelong learning development plan for the community in 1997, the city of Melton published its first Community Learning Plan, updated every three years (City of Melton, 2021). In 2014, the focus of the city shifted to its development as a learning city. There have been several projects implemented as a part of the initiative since establishing the CLB. Among them is the Inner Northern Local Learning and Employment Network’s provision of career advice for people of working age with special needs, supplied through the Community Transition Support initiative. By incorporating a Ticket to Work programme, people with special needs received the necessary support to transition from school to the labour market. Djerriwarrh Community and Education Service provides special trainings, adult learning and community services. YouthNow, another supporter of the activities organized by CLB, provides career advice and workplaces and educational opportunities for youth. Several universities contribute to CLB programmes by offering workshops and training on adult learning, utilizing libraries and other learning hubs.
CLB supported the community and Learning Melton initiative intended to provide education for youth deprived of an opportunity to get traditional schooling. Several other projects engaging youth are being implemented continuously to encourage young people to get a proper education.
CLB publishes a Learning Directory four times a year promoting lifelong learning activities of a formal, semi-formal and informal nature (UIL, 2015).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
Current stakeholders of CLB include numerous members from different sectors. In addition to representatives of business and industry and non-governmental and non-profit organizations, employment services take an active part in development initiatives. Moreover, CLB is supported by a full range of educational institutions: private and state schools at both elementary and secondary level, universities and vocational institutions providing education for adults and mature citizens, and institutions for young learners such as kindergartens and preschools.
Health sectors and education providers for people with special needs, such as Brimbank Melton Local Learning and Employment Network, which focuses on children and teenagers from 10 to 19 years old, also participate in the programme, promoting inclusivity.
Other stakeholders are community members who take an active part in the decision-making process locally.
At the government level the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Victorian Department of Education and Training, which is responsible for providing equal opportunities for education for all residents of Victoria, Melton City councillors, the council’s chief executive officer and other council managers and personnel are contributing to the board, which is chaired by the city mayor (UIL, 2015).
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Whom does it benefit and how?
Establishing a Community Learning Board and turning Melton into a learning city has had three significant impacts:
- The local population has been provided with new accessible places where they can participate in lifelong learning activities.
- The said activities were created by people and organizations for the residents of the city.
- Collaboration with the local organization has been established, facilitating the achievement of long-term socioeconomic and cultural changes through learning.
Continuous education is promoted through the Learning Directory published by the City Council, which advertises almost 500 courses and, in addition to being published on the council website, is distributed through learning facilities and printed in local newspapers. Youth from different backgrounds benefit from the initiative by gaining access to free-of-charge courses and activities that help spread knowledge and develop skills necessary for future employment, diminishing the gap between existing education programmes and the competencies required to obtain employment.
Indigenous people and refugees also gain access to education, keeping them engaged in schooling and lowering the dropout rate through youth projects and clubs.
To address youth unemployment, Building Melton Together (BMT) was established by the Economic Development and Lifelong Learning Party of the CLB. Mismatch between vocational opportunities and available jobs on the market was identified, and programmes were developed to assist young people in training and increase the local employment rate. Projects organized by BMT also aim at developing the building and construction industry by assisting in recruiting the workforce, taking a holistic, cross-sectoral approach and establishing relationships between job seekers and employers.
References
City of Melton, 2021. Community Learning Plan. [Online] Available at: www.melton.vic.gov.au/Out-n-About/Libraries-and-learning/Learning/Community-Learning-Plan [Accessed 6 February 2021].
UIL, 2015. Unlocking the potential of urban communities: Case studies of twelve learning cities. [Online] Available at: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000234536?fbclid=IwAR1Lufp7POnPPL9q_RKhanXB5OquSTii7ZkZixxgaE-D-bSRe6kiu76OBZI [Accessed 6 February 2021].