Manchester City Council has announced that the city has been officially recognised by UNESCO as a City of Lifelong Learning.
This comes in recognition that the council and its partners around the city are making efforts to ensure that lifelong learning is accessible for all. By being recognised, Manchester will become a member of a 356-strong network of cities around the world that share inspiration, knowledge, and best practice on lifelong learning.
A rigorous application process preceded Manchester’s addition to the network, with this including a nomination from the UK Commission for UNESCO, and expert recommendations. For the application to be successful, a strong track record of good practice and policy had to be demonstrated. Manchester’s application involved more than 150 organisations that are all contributing to the lifelong learning approach within the city.
Leader of Manchester City Council Cllr Bev Craig commented:
“Manchester is one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities, with strong population and economic growth.
“We’re a city that has transformed itself over the last several decades from a declining industrial northern city into a dynamic and diverse metropolis, that today attracts talent, investment, and visitors from all over the world.”
Now that it has joined the global network of cities, Manchester has committed to ensuring that resources are mobilised across every sector to give inclusive and high-quality learning opportunities for everybody, from basic to higher education. This will also see the council and its partners identifying ways that learning opportunities can be presented within families and communities, as well as within workplaces.
64 cities from 35 different countries have recently joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, with each city now embarking on a campaign within their city to bring learners together to show their passion for learning throughout people’s lives. Touching on Manchester’s recognition, Secretary-General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO James Bridge, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Manchester to the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. UNESCO Learning Cities put learning at the heart of their communities and are committed to use [sic] education and training to support residents whatever their life-stage.”
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