New Community Learning and Development Plan for Midlothian

A new 3-year Community Learning and Development Plan has been approved by Midlothian Council.

Community engagement

A statutory document, the plan sets out how the council and its partners will deliver learning and development in Midlothian’s communities from 2021 to 2024. Key areas covered include community engagement, work with young people, adults and families, learning, literacy and numeracy.

Key themes

The plan focuses on the key themes of Covid-19 recovery and engagement; social interaction, health, wellbeing and poverty; pathways to learning, personal development and employment; climate change and outdoor spaces.

Learning online

It also looks at increasing opportunities for local people to access learning online, with plans to promote digital inclusion and participation.

Impact of Covid-19

“The past two years have brought challenges that we have never encountered before, as partners have dealt with the impact of Covid-19 on learning and local communities,” explained Councillor Jim Muirhead, Chair of the Midlothian Community Planning Board. “Methods of learning have also changed, with digital learning being embraced by many people.

Community support

“The emphasis in this plan is on responding to the challenges of the pandemic,” added Councillor Muirhead, “and building on the developments that have taken place over the last year in learning, volunteering, and community development. Our aim is to support our local communities to thrive and to help our learners, young and old, to develop the skills they need to navigate our changing world.”

Partnership

The new Community Learning and Development Plan has already been endorsed by Midlothian Community Planning Partnership. More than 500 local people, community groups, staff and volunteers also responded to a consultation on the plan held earlier this year.

Education Scotland

The council has now agreed to formally submit the Midlothian plan to Education Scotland, the executive agency of the Scottish Government tasked with improving the quality of the education system.