The R3L+ project: network and partnership quality in learning cities and regions.

The purpose of this blog is to disseminate information on the R3L+ project. R3L+ is funded under the multilateral stream of the Grundtvig arm of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme.

Learning Regions and Cities have become a widely adopted concept in European education policies. Due to the different departures and pathways each of them has developed domain specific knowledge, in the area of social capital building, regarding good governance and institution building, stakeholder collaboration, public-private partnerships and transversal cooperation. R3L+ capitalizes on this diversity by bringing together actors from the respective countries in order to learn from each other and jointly elaborate a common quality framework for collaborative action.

R3L+ addresses priority 2 of the Grundtvig call for multilateral projects: Improving the quality, attractiveness of and access to adult education.

In the framework of this priority it combines two focus areas, which are

a) the intensification of local and regional cooperation among adult education providers, VET and SMEs, within the concept of the “learning region” and

b) improving quality within learning regions by applying the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework (CQAF) within the context of adult education.

The project has adopted a case study approach to identify good practice in each of the participant countries. Each of the partners has completed a country report which outlines the case study location and provides information on its relevance for inclusion in the project.

The partners and the case studies are:

• Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, p&w praxis und wissenschaft, Association of German Learning Regions (LRD e.V.) - Bodensee Learning Region

• University of Glasgow – Dundee City of Learning

• CITY Conversity AB – Lundaland Learning Region

• Kaunas University of Technology – Kaunas Learning City and Region

• Obervatory For Lifelong Learning Development Romania – Bucharest-Ilfov Development Region

• University of Pécs – Pecs Learning City and Region

• Nexus Ireland – Limerick Learning City

The country reports are available online in the public area of the project website and can be accessed by clicking on the links above.

Each report is based on a common format to make some level of comparison across cases possible. Each of the reports begins by providing some historical background to contextualise the case. It contains details on socio-economic change, local labour markets and the role of various stakeholders in driving learning region/city developments. It also identifies partnerships or networks at both macro – the region and city; and micro – local community levels. For example, in the case of Dundee Learning City (the case adopted in the UK) at the macro level, an examination of the role of Dundee Partnership was undertaken, while at the micro level, the operation Community Based Adult Learning partnership was examined.

The Dundee Partnership is:

… a joint venture that pools together the strengths of key City agencies including Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise, Tayside Police and NHS Tayside, along with other local partners and representatives of the business, voluntary and community sectors, providing a vehicle for coordinated inter agency working.' (Dundee Partnership, 2010)

The purpose of CBAL is:

… to provide Community Based Adult Learning opportunities which meet the needs and aspirations of learners, support progression, widen access and promote participation in lifelong learning. To achieve this a diverse range of taster and certificated courses are planned and delivered across Dundee city. It brings together Dundee City Council’s Leisure and Communities Department, Dundee College, The University of Dundee and the University of Abertay Dundee to deliver a wide range of adult learning opportunities delivered in the local community. (CBAL Annual Report, 2010)

Each country report also provides details of any regulatory or policy framework within which the partnerships operate.

Other sections of the reports contain information on network interactions which set out the expected conduct of partner agencies in relation to consultation at both micro and macro levels. This is followed by an examination of the roles of the main actors and stakeholders within in each network and an examination of strategic and operational management within the networks.

The fifth section of the report examines the quality of the networks or partnerships under examination. And it is here that the project applies an adapted version of the Triple-P quality matrices. The three Ps related to Partnership, Participation and Progress and Sustainability of the networks and partnerships. An additional element was added to the matrix to allow elements and indicators of Learning Culture to be mapped.

The final three sections of each case study report address the role of the EU in influencing policy, issues of value-added created by inclusion in the project and a look at any transfer strategies in place to optimise and exploit good practice.

The next post will examine the matrices and indicators and will use examples of evidence from case studies to illustrate specific elements of the quality matrices.