The first European Vocational Skills Week took place from 5th to 9th December 2016. As the National Coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning (EAAL), AONTAS welcomed the introduction of this initiative. It provided an opportunity to profile the diversity of education and training opportunities available to learners across the EU with hundreds of events taking place. It also provided AONTAS with an opportunity to highlight the importance of the learner voice at both a national and European level.
Jim Prior is Coordinator of Southill Family Resource Centre, a member of the Limerick Community Education Network (LCEN) and Vice President of AONTAS. The LCEN represents over 19 community education based organisations across Limerick city and they have been members of AONTAS for over 12 years. Here Jim shares how the LCEN has engaged with the work of AONTAS over this time.
AONTAS is passionate about advocating for the value of community education and our Community Education Network (CEN), set up in 2007, is pivotal to this work. The CEN comprises of over 130 community education organisations who work collectively to gain recognition for community education, raise its profile and lobby to ensure it is adequately resourced.
Stephen O’Brien is a college lecturer and researcher in the School of Education at University College Cork. He has recently written a book called Inside Education: exploring the art of good learning.
AONTAS welcomes the new Minister of State with special responsibility for Training and Skills at the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, John Halligan TD. We look forward to working with him in his term of office, in particular highlighting the potential of adult and community education to meet the skills needs of the future.
The Clock Tower at the Department of Education and Skills hosted a full house for the AONTAS transnational seminar on the impact of the EU on Ireland’s adult learning policies and practices on 28th April 2016.
