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Conclusions
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Overall, this project provided us with some useful insights into ways in which business communities can be supported in developing effective learning networks.
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The initial structures were in place for ongoing business development networks to be established. A group of interested people had been very successfully identified. The interest in ongoing networking and development had been stimulated and an initial group had been formed with some strong interpersonal structures established.
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It is probable that the development of individual and community skills required to effectively drive ongoing network based learning were still in need of support, and that this short program did not meet those needs entirely. From our experience we would suggest that very low levels of ongoing support would be required to provide the necessary facilitation to really establish a self-maintaining business development group.
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It seems that longer term but low level support of the kind of process trialed in this project could very effectively lead to the development of business community learning networks which could meet needs identified in the home-based business sector for:
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Networks;
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Contacts;
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Breaking isolation; and
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Peer learning.
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Such business community learning networks would help enable home-based businesses to fulfil, as our original research shows, its significant development potential.
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