Thursday, 27th February 2020
FET learners from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board have their voices heard at National FET Learner Forum in Limerick
Over 110 learners from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board convened at a regional meeting of the National Further Education and Training (FET) Learner Forum on Thursday, 27th February. The meeting took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, Limerick and involved learners from a variety of FET courses offered by the ETB.
The National FET Learner Forum is a collaborative effort between AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation; SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority; and Education and Training Boards (ETBs). The project is also co-funded by the European Social Fund, as part of the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020. This event was one of a series of regional events that will take place across the country this year.
Ireland is leading the way in making a commitment to learner voice with the establishment of a National FET Learner Forum. As a learner-centred form of provision, SOLAS is striving to make Further Education and Training (FET) responsive to learner needs. This Forum acts as a way for learners to directly influence FET provision. Their suggestions for improvement will result in a clear outline of recommendations which AONTAS will share directly with policy makers and ETBs.
Speaking about today's Forum, Niamh O’Reilly, CEO of AONTAS, said: “The Forum provides FET learners from Limerick and Clare with the opportunity to have their voices heard, and to help shape further education at local, regional and national level. AONTAS believes that learners are experts of their own learning, they can identify what is working and what improvements are needed to ensure learner success, retention and progression. We look forward to using the deliberations from the Forum in supporting SOLAS and ETBs in creating a world-class FET system that is learner-centred.”
Triona Lynch, FET Manager with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, opened the Forum. She said: “It’s been fantastic once again this year to see so many learners from across Limerick and Clare coming together to share their experience of the ETB. We place huge importance on strengthening the voice of the learner in their lifelong learning journey, so we can listen to them and keep providing the highest standards of FET provision delivery across the region.” If you are thinking of going back to education further information on AONTAS can be found here: www.aontas.com or you can call AONTAS on 1800 303 669, or check out the range of provision available with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board at www.learningandskills.ie.