Growing the learning culture

What is CLD?

Published
09/10/2025
Last updated
19/08/2026

Community Learning and Development practitioners work with, not for, communities! 

Our professional practice is grounded in a synthesis of three practice domains:

  • Community Based Adult Learning
  • Community Development
  • Youth Work

CLD in Scotland is a distinct educational approach to lifelong learning that empowers individuals and communities to actively shape their own learning and development. It is a collaborative and inclusive process involving learners, young people, community members, volunteers, local authorities, educational institutions, and organisations across the voluntary, public and third sectors.
CLD practitioners work with individuals and groups to design and deliver learning opportunities such as adult education, ESOL, literacies, family learning, youth work, and community development. Their aim is to support people to overcome barriers, achieve their potential, and contribute to stronger, more resilient communities.

At its heart, CLD is a people-centred and democratic approach that empowers individuals and communities to identify their own needs, strengths and aspirations. CLD has a strong track record of building collaborative learning relationships, enabling communities to generate knowledge, take action, and create positive change. Learning takes place in a wide range of settings, including community venues, schools, colleges, and virtual spaces.

Since 2011, efforts to grow a vibrant CLD learning culture have sought to strengthen a diverse profession that has often been under-recognised despite its significant contribution to education and community wellbeing. The CLD Standards Council’s professional standards—comprising the values, Code of Ethics and competence framework—were developed with the sector. They articulate the professional identity of CLD across a wide range of paid and unpaid roles and provide the foundation for a learning culture that supports reflective, responsible and high-quality practice.

Key principles of CLD in Scotland include:

  • Inclusion and Equality – ensuring fair access to learning opportunities for all.
  •  Empowerment – supporting people to shape learning and decisions that affect their lives.
  • Partnership and Collaboration – working with communities, organisations and services to support progression and opportunity.
  • Lifelong Learning – promoting learning at all stages of life.
  • Participation and Engagement – encouraging active citizenship and community involvement.
  • Inclusive Learning – recognising learning happens in many formal and informal settings.
  • Asset-Based Practice – building on existing community strengths, skills and knowledge.


Another challenge for change!

Since its creation, the CLD Standards Council has promoted a positive learning culture in which all CLD practitioners, paid and unpaid, engage in continuous learning, development and improvement to enhance the quality and impact of practice. This refreshed edition comes at a pivotal time for Scotland’s CLD sector.

The Scottish Government’s 2024 Independent Review of CLD, Learning: For All. For Life., presents a significant opportunity to raise the profile of CLD and strengthen its role within Scotland’s learning system. The review highlights the need for a strong, professionalised workforce capable of delivering high-quality outcomes for learners, aligning closely with the principles of Growing the Learning Culture and the CLD Code of Ethics.

Recognising that CLD practitioners support people facing some of the greatest challenges in Scotland’s communities, the review calls for greater recognition of the profession and parity of esteem with other education and social professions. Despite funding pressures, continued investment in workforce and professional development remains essential.

The review also identifies the need for more consistent workforce planning to ensure the CLD workforce reflects Scotland’s diverse communities. It recommends that the CLD Standards Council lead the development of a national CLD Workforce Plan, with professional learning and development at its core to equip the workforce with the skills and knowledge needed for the future.

About Growing the Learning Culture

Growing the Learning Culture is founded on a commitment to:

  • The CLD Values, Code of Ethics and Competence Framework (our professional standards)
  • The continued development of a learning culture that supports collective growth and improvement across the CLD profession
  • Enhancing the quality and impact of CLD practice.

It sets out the shared responsibilities for strengthening professional learning pathways and promoting creative and innovative learning and development across the sector. The framework is underpinned by:

  • a clear vision, ambitions and principles
  • defined actions and roles for practitioners, managers, employers, learning providers, national organisations, Education Scotland and the CLD Standards Council
  • intended impacts to measure progress
  • a quality framework that supports reflection, review, planning and evaluation to sustain and grow the learning culture

Throughout the resource, we refer to Professional Learning and Professional Development. We are using the term professional learning to refer to:

  • the process of active learning through individual or shared reflection on practice
  • participation in formal or informal learning opportunities, and activities including planned reading, shadowing, secondments and e-learning

We are using the term professional development to refer to:

  • the change that occurs as a result of professional learning: the enhanced skills, knowledge and understanding of practitioners, the sharing of these and their application to practice