Context & background

The network  title is  "Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions".

“A learning city can be characterised as one in which communities attempt to learn collectively to change their own futures.”(1)  Drawing on recent research on developing learning cities and on developing entrepreneurial skills and attitudes, we will develop guidelines for creating “Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions”.

By working together and by comparing best practice, the City Regions will develop three operational themes which are interconnected to maximise impact:

• embedding entrepreneurial skills and attitude development within all formal and non-formal education
• smart city initiatives, within which we will enhance  digital skills for all and
• work in partnership to use resources efficiently.

Following the publication by UNESCO of the Beijing Declaration on Learning Cities adopted in October 2013, the Swansea Bay City Region, the pilot for the UK, seeks to keep up the momentum generated at that conference.

Baseline Data will be gathered about each city using the UNESCO Key Features of a Learning City, which were launched with the Beijing Declaration for Learning Cities in October 2013. Data is not used for comparison between cities but provides a baseline for each city to measure its’ progress.

EC / OECD ‘HEInnovate’ a self-assessment tool for European Entrepreneurial Higher Education Institutions may be used by the HEIs within cities to measure their own progress in developing entrepreneurial skills and attitudes.

Social inclusion in learning will be a cross cutting theme. “Cities which create processes to sustain conditions for socially inclusive continuous learning and innovation are the best placed to succeed.”(1). Ensuring that the diversity within our city regions is reflected throughout the development of our themes is important. According to Richard Florida “ Diversity plays a key role in the attraction and retention of the kinds of talent required to support high technology industry and generate regional growth” (2)  

References:

1. “Why learning is central to city futures “- A policy briefing from PASCAL International Observatory - Posted January 7, 2014 - 15:57
2. “Cities and the creative class” Richard Florida London 2005 p.91

Key Objectives

• Working in partnership to contribute to the economic regeneration of a city region through developing skills, knowledge & entrepreneurial  attitude in all learners.
• Provide examples of good practice to enable entrepreneurial cities to learn from each other,
• To research and develop understanding of successful interventions

Actions proposed to support these objectives  are:

• To provide guidelines for developing an Entrepreneurial Learning City Region
• Contributions to a website recording progress on the themes above
• A Research Symposium
• A publication (book) “Developing Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions”
• A conference to disseminate findings, enhance the UNESCO Global Platform for Learning Cities and support the PASCAL 2020  network of Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions.

Desired outcomes and contribution to Learning Cities 2020

A network which through gathering research evidence, case studies and study exchanges, supports its members in their pursuit of economic regeneration for their city region.

A book, Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions, will provide theoretic understanding and practical case studies

A Conference will support the PASCAL 2020 network of  Entrepreneurial Learning City Regions.

Judth James & Jean Preece
Swansea University