A CELEBRATION of adult learning will take place throughout the county next week. Aontas Adult Learner Week runs from Monday, until Saturday, March 1 and a host of events have been planned for venues all over Clare highlighting the benefits of adult education.
Jacinta Davenport, Educational Guidance Counsellor with LCETB (Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board), based in the Adult Education Centre in Clonroad Business Park explained, “Aontas believes that all adults in Ireland should have equal access to learning opportunities, that adult learning has a hugely important role to play in the economic and social future of Ireland. We know that adult learners and adult learning centres do vital work on a daily basis.”
In the last seven years, the festival has become a firm fixture on the adult learning calendar with events taking place nationwide, including anything from information sessions, taster workshops, sample lectures to small gatherings of people who love to learn.
She added, “The Adult Learners’ Festival is all about celebrating adult learning and the achievements of adult learners; showcasing the work of adult education providers; promoting the work of Aontas and the adult education sector and ensuring that adult education is placed firmly on the political agenda.”
Just one of the venues participating in Aontas this year, the Adult Education Centre in Clonroad Business Park, with a Skills Unit in the Gort road Industrial Estate, provides opportunities for learning and upskilling. The programmes are delivered with a practical approach to learning and upskilling in partnership with employers.
“Clare LCETB has established several partnerships with employers around the county and indeed nationally in order to provide relevant, current and specific education and training programmes for learners in County Clare. These programmes have been jointly developed and are delivered using real-world scenarios, that equip learners to work or secure work in sectors which are enjoying employment growth eg hospitality, catering, retail.”
For full details of workshops in your area check www.adultlearnersfestival.com