Commonwealth of Learning – Institutional Support 2025 to 2027

This grant represents Canada's institutional support to the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). The COL uses these funds and other donors’ funding to achieve its mandate. Guided by its 2021 to 2027 Strategic Plan the COL focuses its programming and advocacy on the use of open distance and technology-enabled learning to achieve improved outcomes in education skills development and lifelong learning across the Commonwealth. It acts as an enabler a capacity-builder and a catalyst to empower people through learning that leads to economic growth social inclusion and environmental conservation. Project activities of the COL include: (1) improving the capacity of government staff to develop and implement appropriate open and distance learning (ODL) strategies policies and programs; (2) improving the capacity of staff and trainers to use implement and scale up gender-responsive quality ODL opportunities offered by institutions; (3) facilitating access to learning opportunities particularly for women and girls through community sensitization and support; (4) providing mentorship and facilitating access to services and financial resources for entrepreneurship and livelihood development; and (5) establishing partnerships with labour markets finance and the service industry to facilitate the transition between learning and its practical application in the market.

The expected outcomes as stated by the Commonwealth of Learning include: (1) improved national effectiveness in leveraging open and distance learning (ODL); (2) improved institutional effectiveness in leveraging ODL; and (3) increased equitable and inclusive access to quality learning opportunities especially for women girls and people with disabilities.