Adult and Community Learning Puffs

  • Education Scotland
  • Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
  • LEARNING FOR CHANGE
  • WALT
  • CLD Standards Council
  • Big Plus

Community Learning and Development

What is Community Learning and Development?

"Community learning and development (CLD) is learning and social development work with individuals and groups in their communities using a range of formal and informal methods. A common defining feature is that programmes and activities are developed in dialogue with communities and participants…(CLD's) main aim is to help individuals and communities tackle real issues in their lives through community action and community-based learning". (Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities, Scottish Government Guidance for Community Learning and Development)

The National Priorities for CLD are:

Achievement through learning for adults: raising standards of achievement in learning for adults through community-based lifelong learning opportunities incorporating the core skills of literacy, numeracy, communications, working with others, problem-solving and information communications technology (ICT).

Achievement through learning for young people: Engaging with young people to facilitate their personal, social and educational development and enable them to gain a voice, influence and place in society.

Achievement through building community capacity: Building community capacity and influence by enabling people to develop the confidence, understanding and skills required to influence decision making and service delivery.

  • Policy Links

    Policy Links

    Community Learning and Development (CLD) work based on these priorities contributes to many Scottish Government strategies. The College and Adult Learning- Funding and Policy Division works with other teams across the Scottish Government and with other organisations to ensure the contribution of CLD to achieving positive outcomes is recognised. Further information on the connections we make can be found on this page.

  • Actions from Joint Statement

    Actions from Joint Statement

    Building on Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities, the Scottish Government/COSLA Joint Statement on community learning and development (CLD), including adult literacy and numeracy (ALN), was published in 2008. It set out challenges for the CLD sector and for the Scottish Government to improve services throughout Scotland. You can see how we have worked towards meeting these challenges on the Actions From Joint Statement page.

  • WALT Challenge Fund

    WALT Challenge Fund

    The WALT Challenge Fund ran from September 2009 to March 2011, inviting bids from CLD partnerships to develop ways of working that would address the challenges set out in the Scottish Government/COSLA Joint Statement.

  • HQ Grants

    HQ Grants

    HQ grants are awarded to national voluntary organisations where aims are complementary to both Scottish Government policy for community learning and development (specifically adult learning and community capacity building) and to the National Performance Framework.

  • Practice Development

    Practice Development

    The Scottish Government work closely with Education Scotland, ther CLD Standards Council and other to ensure that those who deliver CLD have the right skills, attitudes and confidence to deliver the best outcomes to the highest standards. This includes the CLD Upskilling Programme (2009-2011) and work to maintain the momentum gained from this programme. The Evaluation report of the Upskilling Programme is now available via the Practice Development Page

  • Action Plan - Community Learning and Development

    Action Plan - Community Learning and Development

    These web pages form the CLD section of Learning for Change, the Scottish Government's Action plan for the United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), published in May 2010.

Page updated: Thursday, November 10, 2011