We in AONTAS were delighted to host a meeting and study visit of the partners in our Erasmus+ Partner UP project in Dublin. The Adult Education Key Action 2 project connects with the European Union's resolution for Upskilling Pathways, which supports adult learners to develop literacy, numeracy and digital skills and enable participation in lifelong learning.
The meeting section of the first day alllowed the project partners to work together to complete national and European stakeholder analyses, and plan work with development groups over the following months. The partners collaborated and designed the workplan during the meeting while preparing guidelines for future endeavours. A peer review of the country reports was conducted, providing a foundation for the next tasks.
In the afternoon, we visited Dublin 8 Community Education Centre (D8CEC) to meet two educators, who were previously learners there themselves, to discuss their operations. As their website says, D8CEC offers courses "provided in the community for the community and as far as possible by suitably qualified members of the community. Indeed, many of our tutors have themselves completed courses at D8CEC in the past” .
The courses offered at the Dublin 8 Community Education Centre focus on digital skills, mathematics with language and literacy. However, they do not impose any time limit on the learners' learning process. Throughout the year, the centre can accommodate approximately 200 to 300 students with a course duration of approximately 16 weeks where the learners have the freedom to ask and co-create the agenda.
After the meeting with the educators at D8CEC, our Policy Officer Conor Thompson gave an overview of the Irish Education System. Conor covered the history and current state of education in Ireland. The presentation encouraged a lot of discussion among the partners, particualry around the role of the Catholic Church in education, the comparative lack of vocational education, and skills in the early school years.
The second day concentrated on planning events for the next six months of the project. These include an online study visit and peer learning activity jointly hosted by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA and eucen in January 2024, and a transnational partner meeting and study visit in Cyprus in February 2024.
You can find out more about Partner UP on the project website, or contact the project directly for more information. You may also like to read the project newsletters Partner UP Issue 1 and Partner UP Issue 2.
The Partner UP project is funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. Apply for similar funding in Ireland through Léargas.