A City or Region of Learning is an approach of connecting learning opportunities across territories and making them more visible and accessible to all learners.

Cities and Regions of Learning use the latest digital technology to map learning opportunities , offer local and digital experiences combined into playlists, and use digital Open Badges to value and recognise learning and achievements.

Cities and Regions of Learning build on the interests of learners and connect them with opportunities in a territory. It promotes open and inclusive learning for all.

Your city or region should identify local partners and stakeholders that are willing to get involved and support this initiative. It is essential to allocate necessary resources for initiating and managing your City or Region of Learning.

Organisations or institutions interested to become a City or Region of Learning should express interest in becoming a partner with the Network of Cities and Regions of Learning. Please send us an email to info@badgecraft.eu.

The Network of Cities and Regions of Learning will provide new partners with guidelines and good practices for developing a City or Region of Learning.

We launch a localised platform for new city or region for a one-time fee. This fee includes a technical set up, branding package, online consultations, and a 1-year licence for using the platform.

Annually, a city or region contributes with paying a licence fee calculated based on the active users on the platform.

Contact us to know more details: info@citiesoflearning.eu. 

We recommend to foresee resources for the following activities:

• Innovation transfer workshops on mapping and learning playlists design. Our experienced members of the network are ready to provide it. 
• Local coordination and support of the network of partners in your city or region 
• Promotion of the platform and opportunities listed there.
• Participation in the international activities of the Network of Cities and Regions of Learning

We are ready to collaborate with cities and regions anywhere in the world. In case of a need, we cooperate with new members in finding necessary resources.

The digital platform for Cities and Regions of Learning has the following functionality:

• Interactive map for learners and organisations to easily navigate through the learning pathways in a territory searching and filtering learning opportunities
• Learning playlists created by local partners by combining local and digital experiences organised into thematic learning pathways
• Digital open badges for learners and organisations to record, certificate and showcase experiences, skills and achievements on their digital portfolio.

The digital platform has integrated the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO) database of the European multilingual classification of Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations.

Organisations and institutions that use the platform can access data and analytics about learning and impact.

We follow the human-centred design process consulting with learners and organisations on the user experience and design of the platform. Hence the platform is evolving and adapting to our partners’ and beneficiaries needs. 

We initially created this platform for young people, but any learner and learning provider can benefit from the platform. Every new partner can define their specific target group or particular thematic focus.

Examples of how other cities and regions use the platform to bring benefits to specific groups of learners:

• Saxony-Anhalt Region of Learning in Germany promotes international mobility opportunities to develop European competences
• Lorca City of Learning in Spain improves the employability of young people and focus on the integration of young migrants
• Vilnius City of Learning in Lithuania focuses on social-civic activities, career readiness and volunteering
• Tilburg City of Learning prioritise the inclusion of young people and civic engagement in city life
• Cagliari Metropolitan City of Learning in Sardinia, Italy focus on creating new pathways for young people who drop out of schools
• Ljubljana City of Learning in Slovenia focus on youth employment opportunities and access to new careers
• Tønsberg City of Learning in Norway focus on innovation, creativity and health areas of life
• Novi Sad City of Learning in Serbia focuses on youth participation and inclusion through innovative approaches of youth work
• Eastern Cape Region of Learning in South Africa focus on work readiness and digital skills development

Benefits for learners:

• Access to learning opportunities.
• Recognition of practical experiences, skills and achievements.
• Discovery of new opportunities.
• Professional support for future careers and unlocking opportunities.

Benefits for learning providers:

• Better visibility.
• Data on the impact and achievements.
• Platform to connect various types of learning in the territory.
• Digital tools to support learners in developing 21st-century skills.

Benefits for city and region administration:

• Open and inclusive learning infrastructure
• Data to inform public policy decisions
• Means to achieve strategic goals
• Lifelong learning opportunities

Benefits for business and employers:

• Better job readiness.
• Real overview of skills in the territory.
• New channel to search for talents.
• Employer and business image.

We are a network of not-for-profit organisations and municipalities. At the moment we have diverse partners managing Cities and Regions of Learning in 12 territories in Europe and South Africa:

• Nectarus and Vilnius municipality, Lithuania
• Breakthrough in Tilburg, The Netherlands
• Cazalla Intercultural and Regional youth council in Lorca, Spain
• GoEurope! at Red Cross and Internationaler Bund in Saxony- Anhalt region, Germany
• Centraider and Regional administration of Val de Loire region, France
• TiPovej! and Ljubljana municipality, Slovenia
• Associazione Interculturale NUR and Metropolitan city of Caglairy, Sardiania, Italy
• Ready4Life in Eastern Cape region, South Africa
• South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, in Mikkeli and South Savo region, Finland
• Innovation North in Tønsberg, Norway
• BalkanIDEA Novi Sad, Serbia

The network is supported by tech partner Badgecraft and communication partner Creativitas.

We are open and ready to collaborate with diverse organisations interested in developing City or Region of Learning.

• Inclusiveness – we strive to create opportunities for diverse learners and learning providers
• Openness – we promote open experience sharing and collaboration between partners locally and internationally
• Diversity in learning – we encourage various learning activities ranging from public and informal spaces to non-formal or formal learning as well as learning online.
• Open Recognition – we value various achievements and education acquired through life. We use open badges allowing us to recognise and value diverse learning.
• Democracy and respect for human rights – our platform and learning opportunities provided should be in line with the main principles of democracy and demonstrate respect for human rights.
• Innovation – we strive to make use of the internet and the newest technologies to respond to the emerging challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.

The members of the Network of Cities and Regions of Learning contribute with paying the licence fee for using the platform. We reinvest income generated from the licence fees into further development and maintenance of the platform.

Depending on opportunities, Cities and Regions of Learning apply for public funding to implement local and international activities.

We built the first version of the platform with the co-funding of the European Union Erasmus+ programme and local public grants.