AONTAS Information Referral Service -Statistics
Information Referral Service- 2009
AONTAS continues to deliver an Information Referral Service which provides both direct and referral information on adult education issues to individuals and groups. The success of the three previous years' Adult Learners' Festivals coupled with increased media coverage and a stark increase in unemployment has led to a continued increase in queries. Over the year 2009 AONTAS responded to 6538 calls from prospective learners seeking information on courses, entitlements and grants. An analysis of queries to the service over 2009 yields interesting insights on the current challenges for the adult and community education service and lifelong learning as a whole.
Increased demand
- Analysis of the queries shows that there were several peak periods for the Service; January, June, July and August. This is in contrast to previous years when summer months were generally quieter.
- 621 learners contacting the Service over the last four months indicated that there is a need for courses to be delivered during the summer months, so that people can continue to up-skill and stay motivated.
- From the figures for August and September 342 individuals stated they were on the waiting list for adult education courses.
- Individuals contacting the service continue to voice their concerns about the lack of courses available and the decreasing resources available at local level.
- A quarter of unemployed people contacting the AONTAS Information Referral Service stated that the courses available don't suit their needs.
- A third of all people contacting the service over the last three months of the year feel that there needs to be greater choice and diversification at local level and a quarter of all individuals contacting the service in 2009 have stated that there is no progression routes available for them from ad-hoc short courses being delivered at local level.
- The demographic of learners seeking courses has changed significantly with, most notably, the increase in unemployed young men with poor literacy levels. Approximately two thirds of queries this year were from men.
Unemployment and education
- The majority of people contacting the Service are considering returning to education having recently become unemployed. To date 3297 individuals stated they were unemployed, 2961 of these indicated they were newly unemployed and had lost their jobs in the past twelve months.
- 4% of individuals contacting the service stated that they had been out of education for 5 years or less. However there continues to be an increase in individuals contacting the service who have been out of education for significantly longer periods of time.
- 81% of unemployed individuals contacting the service stated it has been more than ten years since they have been in education. 52% of these individuals have stated they had been out of education for more than twenty years with a further 4% of these have stated it has been more than 30 years since they were in education.
- Many of these individuals comment on suffering from low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
Priority issues for Adult Learners
- Feedback from the Referral Service suggests that accessing information continues to be a significant barrier for many adult learners.
- In 2009 71% of learners contacting the service have stated there is a need for clear, concise, accurate and accessible up to date information from front line services.
- Finance and childcare continue to be a barrier for unwaged and unemployed individuals wishing to return to education this year. Many people recently unemployed seeking to up-skill or retrain have identified funding for courses and meeting childcare costs as their main concerns.
- In 2009 4921 of all individuals contacting the service also requested information on course options and funding available to them.
Information Booklet
The AONTAS Information Booklet which was introduced in November 2007 is constantly updated and is an essential resource to any learner considering returning to education.
Outcomes
- In 2009 the Information & Research Officer disseminated 5261 copies of the Information Booklet. Learners can also access the booklet online.
- In response to an increased demand for the booklet AONTAS decided to continue to promote the text-line facility to adult learners during the Festival period from the end of January until late February 2009.
- A total of 1257 Information Booklets were requested by learners/ organisations during Festival week.
- In 2009 AONTAS quickly responded to the changes announced in the Supplementary Budget by updating the Financial Support section of the booklet and by developing an insert on training/upskilling, grants, social welfare entitlements and supports.
- In 2009 the Information/Research Officer worked closely with the NQAI to develop the adult learner section of the Qualifax system. She also worked with the HEA Access Office in the development of their information website for third level students.
