Nationwide Project scoops Award for Adult Learning

Issued : Friday 14 December, 2007

The success of the project can be attributed to the involvement of a wide range of service providers and agencies - from the HSE and VEC, to area based partnerships and An Garda Síochana. As a learner who took part in the initiative explained; 'When I came here I spoke little English, it was difficult to understand people and their culture. When you are able to speak you can open yourself to people. I was also a bit lost and worried about socialising with people. [During the course]I started to feel more confident because of the people who surrounded me. They were friendly and they helped each other. We learned from each other so much. Different cultures, languages and people from different countries. The important thing is to start, to begin something even if it's a small step. It's the way to achieve anything you really want. It's the lesson which I've learned from my school.

Micheal O'Muircheartaigh, well known RTE sports broadcaster will present the awards at a special ceremony on February 4th at Dublin Castle. The ceremony is the opening event for the AONTAS Adult Learners' Festival which runs until February 8th. This year over one hundred and thirty adult learning initiatives were nominated for a total of eleven awards. According to Bríd Connolly, Vice President of AONTAS and Chair of the independent panel of judges which reviewed the awards, 'This is the second year for the awards and the number of projects nominated well exceeded our expectations.'

All of the judges were particularly impressed with the standard of applications this year.

Bríd added 'We know that individuals really benefit from adult education, but we wanted to highlight community benefits too, with these awards. We were looking for projects which emphasised teamwork and partnership, developed around the real needs of adult learners. It was extremely difficult to reach a decision but we feel that the eleven projects selected best fulfilled these criteria.'

AONTAS introduced the awards initiative and the Adult Learners' Festival in order to promote adult learning. AONTAS Director Berni Brady explained 'All of the projects nominated for these awards demonstrate the enormous value of adult learning -for individual learners, for economic development and for different communities around Ireland. Many of the projects are operating with minimal resources. AONTAS estimates that on average 300,000 adults in Ireland take part in adult or community education each year. Adults encounter huge obstacles in accessing and continuing further education - the high cost of fees, the huge time commitment or the difficulty of juggling work and childcare arrangements.'

The week of the Adult Learners' Festival includes a number of activities to promote learning. The theme of this years festival is 'Learning Matters' and the event will conclude with a panel discussion which will consider the key policy issues for the sector over the coming years.

ENDS

For additional information and contact with spokespersons in the winning projects, contact Niamh Farren, Communications Officer, 01 406 8220 or 087 911 0569
Note to Editor
1. Two additional nationwide projects were deemed 'Highly Commended'. They were the Educational Trust; Adult Learner Support in UCD, An tIonad Glas; the EQUAL Ireland National Essential Skills Certificate; Parents in Education. For more information on these projects contact AONTAS.

2. A List of the winning eleven projects is available from AONTAS.
3. For more information on different events happening over the course of the festival, visit www.adultlearnersfestival.com.
4. AONTAS launched the 'Demand your Right to Learn' Campaign in January last year. For more details visit www.aontas.com.