Cities of Learning In The UK
The UK faces unprecedented challenges which demand bold action. The RSA believes that testing innovative approaches to promoting lifelong learning across society should form a key part of our response.
Cities of Learning is a new approach for activating a grassroots, city-based, mass-engagement movement around learning and skills. It seeks to close gaps in opportunity and empower places to promote lifelong learning as core to their cultural and civic identity.
“I know learning outside the classroom can give me the skills I need for the future, but I don’t know what’s out there in the city. If [Cities of Learning] can help with that, that will help a lot of young people like me.”
Participant of youth focus group.
Our prospectus explores our approach to developing cities of learning in the UK. Supported by the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL), City & Guilds and Ufi charitable trust, The RSA and Digitalme have been working with a range of anchor organisations and dozens of stakeholders, including learners themselves on a programme of co-design in Brighton, Plymouth and Greater Manchester. The prospectus draws on this work and builds on a model pioneered in the US and the RSA’s previous research a new digital learning age and a place for learning. In the prospectus we explore the opportunity for unleashing cities of learning in the UK and our approach to making it a reality.
