ABSTRACT
A learning city affects plans to define and develop the skills and competencies which make all its citizens employable. Cities, towns and regions are in the front line of the battle against exclusion produced by unemployment and have to devise plans to combat it. But this battle demands four new approaches. First, it has to be innovative — traditional formulae which have failed in the past don’t often get a second chance to succeed. Second, it has to be sensitive — for those involved, the barriers are as much psychological as well as economic and social. Third, it has to be a partnership between different agencies in the city and co-ordinated into a city strategy — employability is not restricted to one single industry or sector. Fourth, it has to be well and positively publicized — hearts and minds have to be focused on the benefits of eventual success.
