There are a number of interesting trends beginning to emerge in the "learning business." And the use of new multimedia communication technologies are all critical to these developments. The European Commission is taking a top-down approach in promoting the European Year of Lifelong Learning. Its overall impact remains to be seen, but it seems to be creating greater awareness amongst educationalists and politicians that learning is not just at the front end of life.
Following on from one of the themes in the last issue, the development of community learning networks is a bottom-up trend that is beginning to create quite a bit of interest. Project DIANE (see here) is an interesting example. They are gradually emerging - the impact seemingly small except for the local community. But its rather like the development of the Internet - many networks growing separately - but once they join together the impact is suddenly a world wide phenomenon. Of course, there is already the Internet - so the local community learning networks can start to ride on the back of the superhighway or fight for one if there is not one in their local community.
Community learning networks do not just mean the local education authority. They will involve all those organisations that go to make up the local community, in particular business, chambers of commerce and the local equivalent of the English training and enterprise councils. Local universities also have an important role to play in this area. They are moving away from being elitist institutions and increasingly are required to take on more students with less funding. As in the UK the tradition of "going away" to university is becoming a feature of history. Increasingly students are "mature" - over 25 years old, living in their own home and "working their way" through university. In this environment it is in the interest of universities to take a closer interest in schools in their own community. It is financially in their interest to ensure that their future students are trained up to their requirements before they reach university. The universities also have the experience of electronic networking.
Local communities are becoming more able and better equipped to "buy in" resources for their learning needs. See the Hudiksvall case study in Sweden (here) for a good example of this. They will start to "shop around" and want to buy good quality goods. As seen in the lead article increasingly companies involved in the training, multimedia and telecommunications are joining together in the learning business and starting to offer branded products.
In the UK the retail store Marks & Spencer is recognised for selling quality goods and "no quibble" exchange of products if the customer is not satisfied. As increasingly financial resources are delegated to the local school/community they are increasingly needing to seek quality goods and services. Recognised quality brand names provide a low cost way of buying goods and services without the need of a large purchasing department to assess every product before it is bought. Marks & Spencer is a household name in the UK - so is BT, The Open University, the BBC and Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Those organisations in the learning business without a recognised brand name are starting to see it as strategically important to create one.