To build learning regions teachers and other educational practitioners will need to develop skills and knowledge on how to form collborations across various sectors of society. This is needed in order to provide students with applied learning opportunities and a greater sense of personal investment in the development of the economy . The problems of the 21st century are too complex to rely on only experts to resolve.

Much research and documentation regarding the power of crowds has shown that one thousand minds working together on solving a problem is more effective than one working in isolation. The role of the talent developer is one that teachers and other educational practitioners must assume in order to mobilize social capital around economic development and lifelong learning. Schools are "ground zero" of many communities throughtout the world. Such a common institution provides a setting in which news types of organizations and structures can be tested. Despite tightening budgets and standardized curriculums, there are still opportunities to use schools as social laboratories. Here are some of the characteristics of  a talent developer:

• Understands and appreciates the interests of students
• Makes regular contact with professionals in varied occupations
• Develops connections between classwork and the outside world
• Has flexible expectations for student outcomes
• Seeks out interesting resources to ehance student learning
• Use online and real world networks to create and/or take advantage of unique projects, events, and opportunities for students to develop their talents
• Has a keen awareness of  local, state, national , and international economic development trends that are relevant to curricular objectives
• Willing to invest time and other resources to integrate students into off-campus professional events to help them build quality networks
• Promotes the artistic, entrepreneurial, and scientific creativity and innovation of students throughout the school and larger community
• Able to start nontraditional and flexible ("just-in-time") school organizations to meet the interests of students
• Skiled enough to leverage existing assets by creating numerous partnerships with the public and private sectors in order to overcome a lack of resources
• Imaginative and bold enough to dream big and in turn inspire students to positively impact themselves and society