Last Sunday, 21 April, we were invited to speak about the benefits of adult education on the ‘Alice & Kicking’ show on national radio station, Newstalk.
Our CEO Dearbháil Lawless joined presenter Clare McKenna to speak about our mission and the benefits of going back to education as an adult:
“In terms of research, we know that people involved in adult education improve their physical and mental health and become more proactive citizens. Everybody that we meet, more often than not, says that their life has been changed.”
Also speaking on the show were Kathleen Ryan, coordinator of the training programme “Advanced Manufacturing Technician Traineeship”, run by the Kildare and Wicklow Education Training Board (KWETB), and Megan Lambe, a recent graduate of the traineeship. This programme recently won an award at the AONTAS STAR Awards 2024, which recognises the very best in adult learning from across the island of Ireland. Kathleen explained the programme and its brilliant impact:
“Our course is a one-year full time course and is designed to offer a second chance education to adults that are marginalized from the work force for any reason.”
She went on to say that the course attracts a wide range of people and operates outside of the CAO system to “support the individual and set them up for success.”
Graduates from the course go on to be employed in top technology companies like Intel, Amazon, and Pfizer.
As a recent graduate from the course, Megan shared her story, explaining her low confidence led to negative thoughts about education:
“I always thought I’m probably not clever enough to go further in college, until I did the course and realised my potential.”.
Before applying for the traineeship, Megan had done numerous jobs following a Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) course, including being a carer and car park attendant. While she enjoyed caring, she said none of these jobs gave her “the funds to live.”.
She explained that she got to a point where she was ready to “flip her life around” and go from minimum wage to being able to support herself and her life, something she said has given her great “independence.”
Click here to listen to Megan’s full story and the interview on Newstalk’s website. (Scroll to 30 minutes in).