Elections 2019 – Supporting our Members
AONTAS has engaged with EU candidates, and assisted our members to engage local candidates across the country, in order to make them all aware of the importance of adult and community education. Our latest blog outlines some of the ways that we have been supporting our members to engage with candidates in the lead-up to election day on Friday, 24th May.
One Step Up: A Model for Increasing Lifelong Learning Participation in Europe
As the National Coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL) AONTAS provides a free Information Referral Service, One Step Up (OSU). Since its establishment in 2013 it has supported tens of thousands of people in Ireland to find out about their education and training options. AONTAS CEO Niamh O’Reilly recently shared insight into the One Step Up service at a conference in Croatia. In our latest blog she reflects on how OSU can be used as a model for other countries to replicate for increasing lifelong learning participation across Europe.
Supporting Basic Skills Policy Development in Slovakia
Last week AONTAS EU Projects Officer Deárbhail Lawless and Advocacy Lead Ben Hendriksen travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia to participate in the kickoff meeting of a new European project that AONTAS is supporting as a project partner. The project, titled BLUESS (Blueprint for Basic Skills Development in Slovakia), supports basic skills policy development in Slovakia and our participation at this event allowed us to meet project colleagues and present at a conference on the topic of basic skills provision in Ireland.
Sharing Learner Voice in Europe
During the first week of April, AONTAS EU Projects Officer, Dearbháil Lawless and Communications Lead, Katie O’Rourke travelled to Luxembourg to attend an Awareness Raising and Guidance Peer Learning Activity (PLA) with two adult learners, Maria O’Reilly of Warrenmount Community Education Centre and Louise Finnegan from One Family.
AONTAS receives three months of queries in less than a week via One Step Up
AONTAS CEO, Niamh O’Reilly, was delighted to be asked onto the Pat Kenny show on Newstalk for the ‘Ask the Expert’ slot (18/3/19). The opportunity to discuss the vast range of adult learning options on the St. Patrick’s Bank Holiday Monday offered an ideal platform to encourage adults back into learning and point them in the right direction.
What is One Step Up?
As part of the ‘Increasing Pathways, Increasing Participation’ 2017 – 2019 project for the European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL), AONTAS provides a free Information Referral Service called One Step Up that supports thousands of people every year to find out about their education and training options.
How to Use the One Step Up Events Calendar
AONTAS provides a free Information Referral Service called One Step Up that supports thousands of people in Ireland every year to find out about education and training options available to them. The One Step Up website is also home an Events Calendar, where we promote open days and information sessions hosted by Education and Training Boards, further education and training colleges, community centres, third level institutes and other learning centres all over the country.
Top 5 Reasons to Return to Education
Taking the first step back into learning after a break from formal education can be daunting, but it comes with many benefits. If you’re thinking of returning to education, January is the perfect time to find out about learning opportunities in your local area, with open days and information sessions happening at further education colleges, community centres and learning institutes all over the country.
The Third European Vocational Skills Week
As the National Coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL) AONTAS attended the third European Vocational Skills Week in Vienna from the 5th – 9th November to represent all adult learners in Ireland. Here AONTAS CEO Niamh O’Reilly reflects on taking part in this important conference where she was had the amazing opportunity to share five fantastic FET learner stories with the world.
The Teaching Council & Further Education and Training Contexts
There is much confusion within the Further Education and Training (FET) sector and among FET practitioners (teachers, trainers, tutors, instructors, facilitators etc.) as to who needs to be registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland and why, who does not need to be registered, and what the registration criteria are for Further Education (FE) teacher.