Carlisle Becomes a Learning City in the Hope to Further Education Opportunities

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Carlisle marked the end of Adult Learners” Week by officially becoming a Learning City. The official launch on Saturday, May 28th, took place in the city centre and introduced the city’s commitment to new knowledge and skills.

City bosses say the status will spark a renaissance in Carlisle after the devastating flood in January, and it is hoped the event will highlight the educational opportunities available in Carlisle. The idea is to co-ordinate learning, from night classes to simply picking up new skills at work, and organisations across the city in the business, voluntary, health, public and private sectors have signed up to make sure that Learning City Carlisle is a top priority.

City Vision

The scheme was originally proposed by the City Vision Partnership in 2002, and has resulted in a series of city-wide events organised under the main themes of: education and formal learning; health and lifestyle; community and informal learning; environment; and skills and business.

Maggie Mooney, Carlisle City Council town clerk and chief executive, said: “Learning City promotes all kinds of learning including both the formal learning that is associated with further and higher education as well as workplace basic skills and continuing professional development.

“The status will give Carlisle a real boost following on from the floods in the city and is a mark of how well we can recover from difficult times.”

York’s Lodge

St Martin’s College Carlisle campus principal Dr Lodge has been a driving force behind the project. He helped York become a Learning City and he believes it could be just as successful here. He said: “It recognises that learning is crucial for social inclusion and economic regeneration. Without it the chances of Carlisle building the learning based economy that it wants are probably hampered.”

However, the status is self-declared and not conferred by an outside body. It is hoped that the scheme will help to promote lifelong learning throughout the UK.

Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije

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