This summary hgihlights two presentations at the Wyndham Learning City's Friday Forum from George Osborne, Advantages of extending the Learning City Approach into other areas of Local Government and beyond, and  Maren Klein, Learning and/or earning: Tensions between learning for the economic sphere (jobs) and learning for well-being/democracy.

The 2023 edition of Education at a Glance from the OECD has recently been published with a focus on vocational and technical education. For the convenience of subscribers, a copy is attached. A quote from the editorial gives a taste of the material to be found in this valuable publication:

Vocational education and training (VET) is vital. It offers an alternative to academic education, equips learners with practiceoriented and employability skills, eases the school-to-work transition, and meets economies’ demand for skilled workers.

Subscribers might like to know that the Commonwealth Foundation's Open Grants Call is now accepting applications. The organisation is especially interested to receive applications from organisations in eligible small and vulnerable states. Eligible organisations can apply for a grant worth between £15,000-£30,000 per year for projects that lead to meaningful and constructive engagement between civil society and government. More details can be found at this link.

As the debate of the proposal for the inclusion of the Voice into the Australian Constitution has advanced, the dignity and grace of so many indigenous leaders who advocate for their people to be heard has been in striking contrast with the negativity of those who campaign for the ‘No’ vote. This is not a surprise. Indigenous leaders have learned and earned these qualities through many long and difficult years of leading their people towards the preparation of the Uluru Statement. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a simple yet eloquent document which emerged itself from three years, and so many more, of intense consultation and exchange in indigenous communities across the nation. The depth of engagement and the confidence that this reflects offers encouragement and conviction to many of us to believe that this is the moment for change.