A central objective of the new Department of Education, Arts and Libraries is to promote, in partnership with the people of the community, the widest possible range of learning throughout life. The well-being of any community depends on learning. Learning is central to renewal and regeneration. At the time of writing Ford have announced the ending of car assembly at Dagenham a classic example of the kind of shock which present-day global economic arrangements can deliver to a community. It must now display its capacity to learn new skills and competences and new ways of thinking and working.
Global companies can locate anywhere.
We need the skills, the competences, the social stability and the community strength to make sure Barking and Dagenham is somewhere, not just anywhere that it s on the mental map of all the key companies as a wholly sensible place to locate. Learning is the key to ensuring that the future is not only different from, but better than, the past. A community has continually to refresh and increase its total stock of learning. It must apply its learning in ever more useful ways. Then it will be able to find new ways of living and working together, devise ways of increasing equality, and also diminishing pain, suffering and discontent.