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Modi'in, Modi'in Makabim-Re'ut, Israel

The Israeli Center for Learning Cities (ICLC) is an international start-up incubator and accelerator for promoting Life Long Learning for the Learning Cities network in Israel, based on the perception that Life Long Leaning is a direct index of settlement growth.

The ICLC is committed to creating the Language of the Learning City, in order to emphasize the new approach of municipalities towards the needs of their citizens.

The ICLC, which leads the model of the "Learning City" in Israel, works within the Multi-Disciplinary Center in Modiin (MDCM) – the first Learning City in Israel. The Multi-Disciplinary Center is a center for adult education and lifelong learning for the ages 18 and over, operated by the Municipality of Modiin and the Open University.

The Multi-Disciplinary Center provides a high level of educational services and sets a stable and strong infrastructure so that every citizen will be able to confidently and properly prepare for future challenges according to the principles of "The Learning City" model.

The center is unique in Israel, promoting education and learning for life and includes:

• Occupational career development;
• Vocational training;
• Development of learning organizations and learning communities;
• Promoting the status of women;
• Recreational enrichment studies;
• Participating in EU projects since 2010.

The center works in cooperation with all parties in the local authority and all the resources sectors in the city, such as the business sector and the private sector, public institutions, social organizations and community NGOs in the city.

The center leads the "Learning City" agenda in cooperation with government authorities, such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Senior Citizens, Union of Local Authorities in Israel, parliamentary education committee, Committee for the Status of Women in the Prime Minister's Office, Adult Education Association, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Employment and more. The center develops learning programs and key joint projects to encourage "Life Long Learning" by partnerships and pooling resources with various factors in the community.

The ICLC is a national knowledge center for the development and implementation of concepts, methods and models for the Learning City network. Special emphasis is placed on the development and training of personnel to lead policy in authorities that join the Learning Cities Network in Israel.

The ICLC model facilitates:

• Specialized knowledge and learning on how to turn local and sporadic activities into a more organized methodical and effective urban process;
• Joint learning and knowledge of Life Long Learning topics;
• Colleague-learning from various authorities regarding the method, alongside flexibility and adaptation of the system to the variance between the authorities;
• Practical learning of successful Life Long Learning models.

Economic benefit

• Saving on resources – informed pooling of existing resources in authorities including generalized services, which means saving time and money as well as sustainability;
• Value benefit - change in the perception of municipal services: no longer a municipal clerk providing service, but perceiving the local authority as a partner of the resident that learns the needs in a more logical manner.

Political-public aspects

• Implementing Life Long Learning principles in the public agenda of decision makers.