Renfrewshire Council

What community learning and development is

Community Learning and Development is an approach to lifelong learning. It aims to empower people and communities to take part in and help shape their own learning and development at all stages of life and in ways that suit a person's needs.

The identification of local priorities and the delivery of activity to meet those priorities is an inclusive and collaborative process. It involves partners, including:

• learners
• young people
• community members and volunteers
• local authorities
• voluntary and charity sector organisations
• educational institutions
• other organisations across the public and third sectors.

The key principles of community learning and development recognised nationally are:

• inclusion and equality
• empowerment
• partnership and collaboration
• lifelong learning
• participation and engagement
• inclusive learning
• assets-based approach.

It's important that all local partners work together to understand the opportunities, challenges and barriers to accessing these.

What a community learning and development plan is

It is a legal requirement for each local authority in Scotland to consult on and publish a community learning and development plan every 3 years.

This must set out how community learning and development activities will be organised and delivered within a local authority area.

Whilst a local authority co-ordinates the development and monitoring of any plan, many different partners are responsible for supporting and delivering activities to local people and communities.

As partners, we need to focus on supporting a life-long learning journey, ensuring we work together to meet the needs of our communities and involve local people and partners in shaping this provision on an ongoing basis.

Our plan for 2024 to 2027

The community learning and development plan for 2024 to 2027 [1MB]  is the first plan we have written since we set up our new partnership arrangements.

It's the first step in our new approach. As our partnership working gets stronger, we will update this plan.

Community learning and development work in Renfrewshire has many strands and reaches many people.

We recognise that our learners and our communities are at the heart of what we do and, as an initial priority, we will be looking at how we strengthen local voice and lived experience in developing and shaping future activities and programmes of work.

Our plan supports Renfrewshire's 4 Community Plan themes:

• Thriving
• Well
• Fair
• Safe.

These also reflect the priorities of our Community Learning and Development Partnership Forum.

The plan sets out what we want to achieve as a partnership in the next 3 years, and details some of the shared actions we will take to support people to live their best possible lives.

We're committed as partners to building on the strengths and brilliant examples of great partnership working we see in Renfrewshire every day.

Read our  community learning and development plan [1MB] .