BLOG: Supporting community learning in Liverpool through better evidence

BLOG: Supporting community learning in Liverpool through better evidence

Community learning in Liverpool offers far more than just educational courses. It plays a vital role in helping individuals build confidence, enhance their wellbeing, acquire new skills, and move forward towards employment, volunteering, or further education. For many, especially those who have been out of formal education for some time, community learning serves as a crucial gateway to fresh opportunities.

Earlier this year, Liverpool’s Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) partnered with the city council’s Adult Learning Service to review the provision of community learning. Like many public services, the team needed to manage limited resources effectively while still supporting residents throughout Liverpool. Their main objective was clear: to ensure community learning continues generating the maximum benefit for the people it serves.

The HDRC team contributed through various approaches, including a rapid evidence review and economic modelling to assess the broader value of community learning. They also conducted neighbourhood-level analyses to pinpoint where such learning could have the strongest positive impact. Workshops with staff further explored the extensive range of advantages that community learning delivers. This comprehensive effort revealed that community learning not only improves skills but also enhances health and wellbeing, reduces social isolation, builds confidence, and helps people transition into further education or employment.

One significant result of this collaboration was the creation of an interactive planning tool designed to help decision-makers evaluate different scenarios and understand both their costs and benefits. Unlike approaches that concentrate only on immediate savings, this tool focuses on identifying options that offer the greatest long-term value to residents and the community. Insights gathered through the project have already influenced updates to the community learning commissioning specification and will assist with future planning. This partnership illustrates the power of combining evidence, data, and local knowledge to strengthen decision-making, ultimately benefiting Liverpool residents by supporting improved opportunities, wellbeing, and personal growth

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