December 13 2007 Thunder Bay “Learning Cities and Regions are proponents of the principles of equitable access to learning, inclusiveness, and collaboration as essential precursors to greater prosperity and collective well-being. “ Seth Agbo
Dr. Seth Agbo
A CONVERSATION WITH SETH AGBO
By Eleanor S. Abaya,
Director of Communications, Lakehead University
Leveraging Learning for Regional Development –
An International Forum: June 24 – June 27, 2008
Dr. Seth Agbo is a professor at Lakehead University and Chair of the Department of Lifelong Learning. I spoke with him on the upcoming first international conference on lifelong learning, taking place at the Lakehead University campus in Thunder Bay, ON
June 24 – June 27, 2008. Registration opens January 15, 2008.
EA: Dr. Agbo, I understand that an international conference is being planned to take place at the Lakehead University campus in June 2008. Please tell us briefly - what is the conference all about?
Dr. Agbo: The conference title is Leveraging Learning for Regional Development. This conference is about exchanging ideas and knowledge about how to transform Northwestern Ontario into a learning region with learning cities. In other words, it is about exchanging ideas and knowledge about innovative learning and training practices that promote local and regional socio-economic development. Learning cities or regions promote learning widely and develop effective local partnerships between all sectors of the community, supporting and motivating individuals and employers to participate in learning. The main purposes of learning cities are to support widening participation in lifelong learning and to use learning to promote social and economic development.
The conference provides an opportunity to identify the values and understandings necessary to support a learning society, and the social structures needed to sustain a local knowledge-based economy while building new partnerships with other regional and international knowledge institutions. The conference should bring together local and regional institutions to learn and innovate, to network and partner with other institutions and businesses to create a robust, collective learning community which facilitates the exchange of information and new knowledge about products and processes, as well as about how their work and institutions are organized. Partnerships will serve the Confederation College and Lakehead University campuses at every level of work and learning such as leveraging resources in the design of research projects and service learning opportunities.
EA: Why do you see the need for such a conference?
Dr. Agbo: The need arises from knowledge about several cities and regions around the world that have utilized learning for economic development. Cities and regions around the world have been successful in moving into the new role of becoming “learning cities” or “learning regions” by making education and all forms of non-formal learning, through innovative uses of information and communication technologies, the centre of their new development. Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario are in socio-economic transition from a fundamentally resourced-based economy to a service-based economy. This conference will provide opportunities for people from all walks of life – researchers, students, businesses, community leaders and members, government, and private organizations – to work toward consensus for change by interacting with national and international scholars and practitioners who have experience and expertise in transforming local cities and regions into socially and economically dynamic learning cities or regions.
EA: What topics do you expect to cover, and what sort of speakers do you plan to invite?
Dr. Agbo: The conference should provide a venue for the discussion of how cities and regions can use learning to promote social and economic development by utilizing their unique blend of resources. The focus will be on better defining the roles that learning can play in meeting local and regional socio-economic development goals, and the role that Lakehead University and Confederation College may play in achieving these goals. The conference will bring together a broad range of scholars involved in learning city projects around the world to present current research, and the role of lifelong learning in their development and success. A crucial objective of this conference is to develop greater knowledge, experience, and practice in helping participants to understand the success stories of learning cities in North America, Europe, and other parts of the world. Keynote speakers involved in these developments are being invited to discuss how lifelong learning supports and sustains this new development, and how it might be incorporated into new initiatives in Northwestern Ontario. Educational institutions, businesses, industries, and governments will have opportunities to explore how they can become active participants and partners in helping learning cities and regions grow.
EA: Who are you expecting to attend the conference?
Dr. Agbo: Keynote speakers for the conference include several internationally recognized scholars, such as Dr. David Livingstone of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada Research Chair in Lifelong Learning and Work at the University of Toronto; Dr. Peter Jarvis, renowned international scholar of lifelong learning and Professor of Continuing Education at the University of Surrey, U.K.; Dr. Hans Schuetze, Professor and Director for the Centre for Higher Education and Training (CHET) at UBC and consultant on educational policy for OECD, UNESCO, and the EU; Kurt Larsen, Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank Institute in the Knowledge for Development Program, who works on education and learning issues related to the knowledge economy and develops training courses for policy-makers on post-basic education for growth and competitiveness; Professor Maria Slowey, Vice President of Research and Learning at the City University of Dublin in Ireland and author of several books on lifelong learners; and Dr. Satya Brink, Director, Policy Research, Policy Directorate, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC).
This international conference is open to anyone interested in lifelong learning and community development. The conference is of particular interest and value to regional and local organizations with responsibilities and interests in leveraging learning for economic and social development. Leaders of community development, academic researchers, human resource and staff development professionals, youth workers and family literacy managers, directors of learning, chief executives, teachers, school principals and college/university presidents, business educators, public policy makers, managers of public and private organizations, local, regional and international partners working in lifelong and social capital fields, students, and education consultants are all welcome. Practically everybody that lives in a city or region and is interested in socio-economic development is invited.
EA: What benefits will attendees derive from such a conference?
Dr. Agbo: The benefits include bringing together local and regional institutions to learn and innovate, to network and partner with other institutions and businesses to create a robust, collective learning community which facilitates the exchange of information and new knowledge about products and processes, as well as about how their work and institutions are organized. Learning cities or regions recognize the value of learning by both individuals and organizations. Participants will acquire knowledge, skills, and new understanding about how formal and informal learning environments improve employment opportunities and compensation for individuals, and how organizations can enjoy a more flexible, skilled workforce. Organizations, businesses, and governments will understand how learning cities and regions provide networks and partnerships that facilitate the ongoing exchange of information necessary to maintain a robust, proactive economy and how partnerships can support the movement from a 20th century, industry-based economy to an economy based on knowledge and the effective use of innovative communication technologies.
The 2008 conference will afford the opportunity for Lakehead University and Confederation College to seek to reach beyond the traditional student body, to better include and serve the different learning needs of all the groups in the city and region, such as Aboriginal people, visible minorities, youth, adults, and senior citizens. Partnerships will serve the Confederation College and Lakehead University campuses at every level of work and learning such as leveraging resources in the design of research projects and service learning opportunities. Partnerships will generally begin at the local level, and will be built through stability and trust, eventually incorporating partnerships among the towns, cities, and the Northwestern Ontario region.
EA: Do you have any conference partners and if so who are they?
Dr. Agbo: Yes, Confederation College is our main partner for now. John Hatton of Confederation College has been working hard toward the success of this conference. Confederation College President, Pat Lang, has pledged the full support of the College. At a recent meeting of the members of the Conference Planning Committee with the City Mayor, Lynn Peterson, the Mayor also pledged her full support. The Planning Committee comprises members of several government and private organizations in the City, and we hope City organizations will jump on board and become sponsors.
EA: What inspired you to envision a conference such as this?
Dr. Agbo: When I became Chair of the Department of Lifelong Learning in January 2007, a committee was formed to chart the course of the Department. In that process, the committee realized that Lakehead University has the only academic department of lifelong learning in Canada, one of only a handful in the world; and as the only Canadian university within a radius of about 700 kilometres, Lakehead has an obligation to leverage learning for the socio-economic development of the City and Region. The committee brought up the idea about holding a lifelong learning conference in order to become abreast with lifelong learning trends in other parts of the world. When I was teaching at the State University of New York a few years ago, I was involved as a researcher in an international comparative education project of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in which I represented the U.S. in an international comparison of lifelong learning policy in 10 industrialized countries. I remember stumbling upon the concept of “learning cities” that opened my mind to the idea that in the context of emerging knowledge-based societies, cities and regions around the world are critically examining their resources, institutions, and infrastructure to determine how they can become economic drivers and incubators of innovation in the 21st century. When this idea of a conference came up, I thought the conference should be about knowing the success stories of learning cities around the world, and where appropriate, finding ways to apply ideas and concepts that have been proven to work in our own environment.
EA: Are you aware of other cities here or abroad that have done something similar, and if so what is the learning?
Dr. Agbo: The concept of “learning cities” has become the new recipe for the socio-economic development of cities around the world. In 2005, more than 300 cities and towns had declared themselves learning cities. Examples of dynamic learning cities abound in Europe. One of the best examples is the German city of Jena. This city of 100,000 inhabitants experienced an economic downturn when its largest employer, Carl Zeiss Company laid off 90% of its workforce. To manage the economic blow, Jena reinvented itself as Germany’s knowledge centre by creating new research institutes and learning opportunities for its citizens. The concentration of abundant local talent attracted more than 60 new high-tech and bio-tech companies, making Jena one of the most economically thriving cities in Europe. Other examples are the French learning region around Poitiers focusing on development through communication technology, multi-media, and a highly skilled work force; the Oresund region of Scandinavia, which straddles Denmark and Sweden through a 16-kilometre-long bridge and tunnel linking the city of Copenhagen in Denmark with Malmo in Sweden, creating the greatest concentration of research facilities, first-class educational institutions, and technological know-how in Scandinavia; the Andalusia region of Spain, an agricultural region rich in cultural heritage, which is attracting new companies and enterprises through investments in communications, technology, and research, and the presence of well-established universities and cities; and the Kent Thames-side area east of London in the UK, which has committed to create a veritable learning region with learning institutions, research centres, and schools built with the support of the private sector. Others are Hume in Australia, and Birmingham in the U.K., where learning city initiatives improved the education of children and adults.
The “learning cities” movement is beginning to take root in Canada. In 2003, Victoria, BC identified a number of specific objectives to transform the city into a veritable leading learning city by 2020. To enhance its image as a world class city and one of the best cities in the world, Vancouver declared itself a learning city in June 2006. The city of Vancouver, among others, adopted the principles of equitable access to learning, inclusiveness, and collaboration as essential precursors to greater prosperity and collective well-being.
EA: What do you see is the role of the City of Thunder Bay and private industry in this conference?
Dr. Agbo: The City of Thunder Bay, private industry, and the entire Northwest Region should fully support this conference in various ways. The first is by attending the conference as delegates to learn - and share their learning. The second is to provide the material and moral support for the success of the conference. The third is to capitalize on the opportunities afforded by this conference and utilize lifelong learning as a framework to address the challenges of the emerging knowledge-based economy and society. The City and Region could utilize the ideas and knowledge gained from this conference to strengthen the social settings that foster literacy and lifelong learning. Finally, and most important, the Northwest region should embrace the concept of learning cities to foster change and improvement by providing conditions that allow all citizens to participate in lifelong learning that leads to socio-economic development.
EA: How many participants do you expect to have, and where may they find conference/registration information?
Dr. Agbo: The conference is being widely promoted and it can be accessed through all the major search engines. We are expecting about 400 national and international delegates. Registration information can be found at our conference website:
http://www.theconferenceplanner.ca/
A: What do you believe is the difference between this conference and other similar ventures that may have taken place elsewhere?
Dr. Agbo: This conference is unique in the sense that international conferences of this magnitude usually take place in large cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. When I told some colleagues around the world about bringing to Thunder Bay the calibre of speakers that I lined up for the keynotes, many people thought it was a joke and wondered if I was sure that people like Peter Jarvis, Kurt Larsen, and Maria Slowey would travel all the way to Thunder Bay as keynote speakers. I am delighted that all of these renowned keynote speakers have confirmed their participation. In a discussion with Dr. Gilbert, President of Lakehead University, he noted that this conference is a very ambitious and laudable undertaking, and I am very pleased that the significant support from many quarters the conference has so far received is positioning it to succeed. So, the main difference between this conference and others is that it is going to be in Thunder Bay – a city of 110,000 with a university and a college – and I’m sure it will make a difference when the entire City and business community are on board to have a conference that exceeds our expectations.
EA. What will participants actually take away with them after attending this conference?
Dr. Agbo: Local participants will become aware that by placing innovation and learning at the core of development and offering the right mix of resources, institutional structures, modern technology and cosmopolitan values, the City of Thunder Bay and its region can become a knowledge-based society in the 21st century and sustain economic activity through various combinations of lifelong learning, innovation, and creative uses of information and communication technologies. Delegates would identify the resources that can be mobilized in every sector to develop and enrich the human potential for the fostering of personal growth, the maintenance of social cohesion, and the creation of prosperity. International delegates will of course take away the good name of Thunder Bay, and the city of Thunder Bay will become an enduring landmark on the world map, attracting businesses in the future.
EA: Who is helping you organize this conference?
Dr. Agbo: The conference has a planning committee made up of people from several government and private organizations from the City. The fine details of the organization are in the hands of Penny Hunt of Hunt Technologies, with input and support from various sectors of the University such as the Office of Communications and the Lakehead University Conference Services.
EA: Do you have any parting words to interested parties?
Dr. Agbo: This conference is an opportunity for the city of Thunder Bay to join the band-wagon of progressive learning cities around the world. It is a time for partnerships among key organizations, institutions, governments, and individuals to provide the vehicles necessary for the successful implementation of a learning city. I believe the city of Thunder Bay and its region can build upon the local capacity for learning, innovation, and change, to bring about unique socio-economic circumstances that form the basis for innovation, interaction, and the exchange of knowledge among different sectors. Northwestern Ontario has its own unique blend of elements critical to the realization of new social and economic opportunities. It is time for us in Northwestern Ontario to learn how our local resources, history, culture, and situation can provide opportunities to best compete in the new global marketplace. Everybody is welcome to this conference from June 24-27, 2008. Please visit our conference website at: http://www.theconferenceplanner.ca/
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