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UNB’s College of Extended Learning is indeed pleased and honoured to be named as the lead agency for the CCL Adult Learning Knowledge Centre. We represent a very impressive consortium of organization across the Atlantic region—including government departments, educational institutions, community groups, NGOs, sector councils, private sector and much more—and a large number of individuals who understand adult learning from varying perspectives but who share a belief in the transformative power of learning. I would like to ask members of the consortium who are present today to please stand and be recognized.
This group has come together to make a real difference in adult learning in Canada.
We know that we live in an age in which learning is essential for every element of our lives—for full participation in our democratic society, for a rich and satisfying family life, for career development, as well as for personal enrichment. At a more macro level, we know that continuous learning is critical for the economic and social well-being of our country as was so eloquently stated, for example, in HRSDC’s Knowledge Matters document and through the work of the Conference Board of Canada.
Yet we also know that in Canada we have no national social policy or structure to support adult learning—as reinforced in a recent OECD review. Our consortium members and national stakeholders are extremely encouraged by the Canadian Council on Learning initiative. We have pledged to work together collaboratively to build a national resource that will have far-reaching impact on the practice and monitoring of adult learning in Canada and on social policy in this country.
I’d like to add my thanks to CCL for their recognition of the expertise and history of the Atlantic region in the field of adult learning, and to our consortium members and national stakeholders for their confidence in the UNB College of Extended Learning as well as for their commitment to this critically important initiative. We look forward to working with all of you to accomplish great things over the next few years.
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