New Executive Committee elected at AONTAS AGM
Liz Waters, elected President of AONTAS at the AGM in May 2012
Elections for six positions on the AONTAS Executive Committee took place at the AGM on Wednesday 9th May. AONTAS received ten nominations in total for the six positions. New members elected include: Mary Farrell (Co. Longford VEC), Lorraine Hennessy (INOU), Colm Kilgallon (All Hallows), Jim Prior (City of Limerick VEC), Lorraine Cunningham (Blayney Blades), Tara Farrell (LWL Longford). Liz Waters, CEO of an Cosán was elected President. To see more information about the full AONTAS executive, click here.
The development of the new training and education authority is significant for the sector and AONTAS invited Seamus Hempenstall, Principal Officer in the Further Education section of the Department of Education and Skills to give a presentation about the themes emerging from the recent consultation process. To read the presentation, click here.
To read a press release about the AGM, click here.
SOLAS - serving adult learners
Minister for Training and Skills Ciaran Cannon and Director of NALA Inez Bailey at the 'SOLAS - Serving Adult Learners' event.
At the beginning of the year AONTAS made an extensive submission to the Department of Education and Skills about the development of the new training and education authority SOLAS, which replaces FÁS. Our submission focused not only on the role of adult learning in relation to skills, but the wider social value of adult learning. Secondly, our submission focused on the need for consultation with adult learners about the delivery of adult education services and how they can be enhanced from a learner's perspective. On Friday 24th February, AONTAS and NALA brought together a diverse group of adult learners with different experiences of education and training to engage in dialogue with members of the SOLAS Implementation Group. Minister for Training and Skills Ciaran Cannon, Fiona Hartley, CEO of Co. Wicklow VEC and Paul O'Toole, Director General of FÁS took part in the event. A report will shortly be available. Read the press release about the event.
President Higgins presents AONTAS STAR Awards
Limerick Community Education Network, winners of a STAR Award in the Munster category
President Higgins awarded five outstanding adult learning initiatives with AONTAS STAR Awards at a special ceremony at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on Monday February 20th. Winners of the five awards are : Croí na Gaillimhe Resource Centre (Connaught), Limerick Community Education Network(Munster), the Knockmay Women's Voice Quilting Project (Leinster), Getting Started : Age Action Project (Nationwide) and Destined Level 3 in Effective Management (Belfast). Speaking at the ceremony, the President said 'We know that career and indeed other opportunities are often determined by the level of educational attainment we achieve. For some the lifelong learning journey has been a natural progression through primary and second level and onwards but for others that experience may have been very different and the path of reengagement with the world of education may seem daunting and uncertain. Many of the groups nominated for the Awards today have done wonderful work within communities in helping others with previously low levels of education to resume the journey.'
To read the full text of the President's speech, click here. To read the press release click here. To read more about the winning projects, click here.
