Dublin Learning City

Welcome

Dublin Learning City is a partnership that is collaborating to advance Dublin as a learning region, as defined by UNESCO. This exciting project is a Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) initiative that is funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Dublin Learning City is Chaired by Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT).

Dublin Learning City Festival will run virtually from the 22nd to 24th March 2021 to celebrate and promote learning for all, through fun and creative events.

Dublin Learning City is led by the Institute of Art and Design (IADT) and Marino Institute of Education (MIE), as part of a cluster of six colleges including University College Dublin (UCD), National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). This is a HEA-funded initiative to collaboratively promote and advance equality of access to higher education for under-represented groups. We are also working in partnership with City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) and Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). We will link a number online event to support life-long learning and promote the concept of UNESCO Learning Cities for Dublin.

This Consortium includes five projects: Creative Arts Summer School, led by NCAD; Open Learning, led by UCD; Community Mentoring, led by TCD; Dublin Learning City, jointly led by IADT and MIE; and the 1916 Bursaries, led by UCD.

In order to create a diverse programme that includes a range of subjects of traditional and non-traditional learning, we are inviting Events Hosts all over Dublin to take part of this year’s festival. If you have an event that can take place during the festival week, is free, open to all audiences and has learning as its focus, then get in touch with us by completing this Host application form!

Learning Neighbourhoods: Bringing Lifelong Learning Closer to Home

Dublin Learning City’s Learning Neighbourhoods programme is about one simple idea: everyone should be able to find learning, training and educational opportunities right on their own doorstep. Since the programme began, we’ve worked with local communities across the city to map out what’s already there, connect residents to it, and build networks that make lifelong learning part of everyday neighbourhood life.

So far, two areas of Dublin have been officially recognised as UNESCO Learning Neighbourhoods — with a third now underway.

Dublin awarded prestigious UNESCO Learning City Award 2021

Investing in human capital is crucial to Dublin’s successful development, and lifelong learning is key to this endeavour. As a learning city, it pursues the principle of ‘learning for work, life and fun’ through wide-ranging initiatives coordinated by six local colleges and institutes together with further partners. The ‘Your Place is Here’ campaign encouraging enrolment in higher education regardless of educational background, age, or individual circumstances, and the Healthy Dublin City project offering six learning programmes to improve citizens’ personal, physical and mental health are just two of the many initiatives available to Dublin’s population of more than 1.2 million.