Announcement - Review The STAR Winners 2025

Representation

Representing our members and adult learners

We advocate on behalf of our members, adult and community education providers, and adult learners, as well as the right to everyone to have access to quality education throughout their lives.

The issues and our representational work

Our focus is on educational equality, and the right of all people to access and remain in quality education throughout their lives. We particularly prioritise advocating for sustainable funding and resourcing of community education, which specifically targets those furthest from the traditional education system. We work with Government departments and policymakers to address the barriers to learning, such as the lack of financial supports, inadequate and inaccessible childcare for learners, lack of available and reliable public transport (particularly for those in rural areas), inequalities for people with disabilities and caring responsibilities, among many others.

How we represent members and learners

Our networks with our members – through the Members Hub and the Community Education Netowkr (CEN) – ensure we have the latest feedback on issues faced by the adult and community education sector. We also use the evidence from our research to inform our work. We bring these issues and suggestions for change to meetings and working groups with Government departments, policymakers, European partners. We sit on a number of high-level working groups and continually attend networking and relationship-building events. This means that the issues being raised with us are regularly being presented to decisionmakers all across Ireland and internationally.