AONTAS Blog
Budget 2012 – what does it hold for adult learners?
Posted on December 06, 2011
Following weeks of speculation, yesterday the coalition government revealed a range of public spending cuts, which will affect a wide range of groups in society. As everyone tries to come to terms with the impact of the cuts, here are some thoughts on how the budget will affect adult learners or people thinking of returning to education.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Budget 2012 • Grants for mature students
Thoughts on a conference about community education
Posted on November 23, 2011
Last week AONTAS held the first ever conference on community education in Ireland. Over 200 attended the conference, called 'Making a living, making a life'. The purpose of the conference was to focus on the dual role of community education, supporting people to get employment but also in social inclusion. A practical outcome of the conference was to get those attending to propose how community education might fit within the new SOLAS training and education authority.
What really came across was the richness and diversity of community education. Those attending included tutors, learners, community education facilitators, community education providers based in the community and voluntary sector and people with a role in policy formulation.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Community education • SOLAS
Making a case for community education
Posted on November 15, 2011
Professor John Field on the challenge of measuring the value of community education.
Community based adult learning is paradoxical. Everyone commends it in principle, but in practice it always has to justify its place. This has been the case for all of my working life time, so the idea that we need to argue our corner is not new. What is new is that funding agencies now demand evidence of impact, a demand that can only grow as pressure on resources intensifies. And what is also new is that we can now marshall a very clear and powerful case for the positive impact of community based learning.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Community education • Conference 2011 • Research on adult education
Building a Grassroots Learner Voice: report from the ALFI meeting on October 26th
Posted on November 04, 2011
The 2nd Adult Learners' Forum of Ireland (ALFI) meeting took place on October 26th in the Ashling Hotel, and despite the horrendous weather of the previous days, fifty learners from across the country gathered to discuss and hear about Local Adult Learner Forums.
A full report of the day will be made available and put on the ALFI section of the AONTAS website in due course, but here are some of the details of how the day unfolded.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Adult Learners Forum of Ireland • Adult learners
Come learn, share and be a part of the first national conference about community education in Ireland.
Posted on October 18, 2011
What is the only form of education that gives you skills for employment, builds your confidence and creates healthy, critically thinking, active communities?Community education emerged in Ireland in the 1980's, as a response to consequences of the recession such as unemployment, addiction and disenfranchisement. Now, in the midst of another recession some thirty years later, community education is coming into its own again, providing education which is relevant, learner centred, and sowing seeds for social action.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Community education • Conference 2011 • Community Education Network
How we can build local adult learner voices- the ALFI meeting October 26th
Posted on October 11, 2011
At last year's Adult Learners' Forum of Ireland (ALFI) meeting, one of the main areas of discussion was how to develop a sustainable national platform for Adult Learners. Participants at the inaugural ALFI meeting not only wanted to see a strong national voice, they realised that if it was to grow and develop, it needed to be built on solid foundations.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Adult learners • Mature students • Adult Learner's Forum of Ireland • learner voice
Returning to education brings new beginnings
Posted on October 04, 2011
In this blog entry, mature student Karen Shields writes about the experience of returning to university.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Mature students • Adult learners
Adult learning – creating social enterprise opportunities on Inis Oirr
Posted on September 13, 2011
Research on the benefits of adult learning shows that adult learning helps to build confidence and self esteem. These are the building blocks of small enterprise - with confidence come ideas, and the commitment to pursue them.
A great example of adult learning which is making inroads into small enterprise is Mná le Chéile - a group of women based on Inis Oirr on the Aran Islands. The group was the recipient of an AONTAS STAR Award in February of this year. I recently spoke to Mary McCarty, a member of the group who explained to me how it all started.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Social benefits of learning • Adult learning and enterprise • STAR Awards
Words of advice for adult learners
Posted on August 30, 2011
September is traditionally the time of year when lots of people think of taking up some learning. While it's often associated with children heading back to school, lots of adults are also considering taking up an evening course over the winter, or are about to enter third level as a mature student on a full or part time basis.
Last weekend AONTAS hosted an information stand at Which Course, an annual exhibition featuring various course providers. We were there to give out copies of our new Information Booklet. Called 'What Next' the booklet answers a lot of the basic questions that adults ask us - how to find a course, what the qualification means, what kinds of financial supports are available. We also provided copies of the latest course brochure from CD VEC, and promoted a freephone number which they have in place until September 9th. The freephone number 1800 20 40 80 is staffed by qualified Counsellors from the Adult Education Guidance Initiative who are there to help adults
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Information on adult education • Mature students • Training and education options for people who are unemployed • demand for adult learning
I’m unemployed – can education get me out of here?
Posted on August 03, 2011
There's been a lot of focus recently on the issue of information, and how difficult it is to find the right person in the right place to give you the right information about education and training opportunities if you're unemployed. So here are eight useful resources if you're planning on taking the education route in the not too distant future.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Information about adult education • Training and education options for people who are unemployed
