AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation

📣 We are delighted to host 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼, University of Malta, at the AONTAS Adult Education Summit on 19th and 20th November. His keynote address is titled “𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲.” An excellent opportunity to hear from a thought leader in education. 🎟️ Register now: [shorturl.at/EOLwU] #AdultEducationSummit2025 #NEAAL #ConnectingCommunities #AdultLearning

Join us at the 𝗔𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗦 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 on 19th and 20 November 2025 at 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺, Dublin, focusing on Connecting Communities for Collective Action. Don’t miss this chance to hear from 𝗗𝗿 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, University of Nottingham, as she explores “𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.” Discover how adult education inspires collective action and strengthens communities. 🎟️ Register now: [shorturl.at/EOLwU] #AdultEducationSummit2025 #NEAAL #ConnectingCommunities

We’re on the search for champions of adult learners’ voices! 🎙️ The #STARAwards2026 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 category, sponsored by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), celebrates initiatives that amplify adult learners’ stories and experiences. If your work empowers learners to be heard, this category is for you. 🏆 📅 Nominations close 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 — don’t miss your chance to shine a light on learner voice initiatives making real impact. 👉 Nominate today: https://lnkd.in/e7uQUzXc #AdultLearning #LearnerVoice #STARAwards2026 #LifelongLearning #CommunityEducation

📢 Calling on all initiatives dedicated to driving positive global change. Are you part of a group that empowers communities to create a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure world? Then the #STARAwards2026 Global Citizenship Education category sponsored by 𝗦𝗮𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮 is for you. ⭐ Whether you're a local climate action nonprofit, an adult education centre fostering civic engagement, or any other type of organisation combatting global challenges, we want to hear from you! ⏰ Nominations close on 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿, so make sure to get your entries in soon. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the impact of your work and inspire others. Nominate your initiative today ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eVTFCNnR With thanks to Development Perspectives, coordinators of Saolta, and to our wider community partners including Irish Development Education Association, Concern Worldwide, and Irish Aid for their continued support. #STARAwards2026 #CommunityEducation #CivicEngagement

Last Week, our European Projects Coordinator, Larisa Sioneriu, represented us at a national adult learning conference in 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗮, organised by the Štátny inštitút odborného vzdelávania (Lubica Gallova, Lucia Bielikova, Tomáš Janči) and the NEAAL (New European Agenda for Adult Learning) National Coordinator. 🌍 The conference, themed “𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀: 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀,” explored innovative ways adult learning can happen beyond traditional settings. 📚✨ Larisa shared an overview of the adult and community education landscape in Ireland, highlighting inspiring examples from the Irish NEAAL project – including 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 and 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 – that show how learning thrives in communities, relationships, and other alternative spaces. 🌱🤝 AONTAS has proudly served as Ireland’s National Coordinator for the New European Agenda for Adult Learning since 2014, promoting inclusive, lifelong learning opportunities across the country and Europe. 🇮🇪💡 #AdultLearning #CommunityEducation #NEAAL #LifelongLearning #EuropeanCooperation

📢 Calling on all initiatives dedicated to driving positive global change. Are you part of a group that empowers communities to create a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure world? Then the #STARAwards2026 Global Citizenship Education category sponsored by 𝗦𝗮𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮 is for you. ⭐ Whether you're a local climate action nonprofit, an adult education centre fostering civic engagement, or any other type of organisation combatting global challenges, we want to hear from you! ⏰ Nominations close on 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿, so make sure to get your entries in soon. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate the impact of your work and inspire others. Nominate your initiative today ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eVTFCNnR With thanks to Development Perspectives, coordinators of Saolta, and to our wider community partners including Irish Development Education Association, Concern Worldwide, and Irish Aid for their continued support. #STARAwards2026 #CommunityEducation #CivicEngagement

We are thrilled to share AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation' - Community Education Against Disinformation Workbook, a vital resource co-authored by DP CEO Bobby McCormack! This powerful workbook designed to help adult and community educators explore how disinformation spreads, how it affects minoritised groups, and how we can all build critical thinking, empathy, and media literacy skills to resist it. With practical tools and activities, this workbook helps adult learners sharpen their skills in identifying disinformation and promoting reliable information in their communities. Check it out:https://lnkd.in/eidBzpc7

📊 Budget 2026: Progress Made but Lacking Transformative Investment Budget 2026 includes positive measures that will benefit learners and families, including stronger supports for carers, children, and learners with disabilities. However, without significant, sustainable investment in learner financial supports and community education, the Government risks limiting the transformative potential of the FET system as a whole. 🔗 Read AONTAS’ full response here: [https://lnkd.in/eMCSuM3m] The Budget announcement on October 7th included some strong steps forward. AONTAS welcomes the Government’s plan to review how well student supports meet learners’ needs, particularly for international protection applicants and others who face real financial barriers. This is a long overdue and important move toward a fairer system. We also recognise the targeted increases in income supports for carers and families. The rise in the Carer’s Allowance income disregard, Working Family Payment thresholds, and child payments will ease pressure for many adult learners who are balancing education, family, and financial stress. An additional €19.2 million investment in Further Education and Training (FET) is another positive measure. Minister Marian Harkin TD’s commitment that this investment will support underrepresented groups including women, socio-economically disadvantaged learners, and the Travelling community is especially important. The €2 million boost for learners with disabilities also represents progress toward a more inclusive system. Yet, despite these advances, Budget 2026 still falls short of what is required. The increase to FET funding leaves the sector €59.62 million below the level needed to meet demand and support growth. This shortfall limits the capacity of FET and community education providers to reach learners who need it most. ⚠️ Community education is absent from funding measures prioritised and this is a missed opportunity to invest in a proven driver of equality, wellbeing, and participation. The €10 increase in core social welfare rates falls far short of benchmarked and indexed levels recommended by AONTAS, Social Justice Ireland and the Vincentian MESL Research Centre at SVP - Society of St. Vincent de Paul Ireland. In a continuing cost-of-living crisis, this means financial hardship remains a barrier for many adult learners. We also need to move beyond short-term, year-to-year funding. The new Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) will bring greater funding certainty and lead to more transparent, equitable decisions for FET sector funding. Learn more about MTEF here: [https://lnkd.in/ee3Aeg6D] 📚 Budget 2026 shows progress, but not yet the level of ambition our learners deserve. The Government now has an opportunity to make education truly lifelong, inclusive, and transformative for everyone, in every community. #Budget2026 #AdultLearning #CommunityEducation

This past Tuesday, we hosted a special webinar to present our newly published Research projects! We were delighted to share insights from our two latest publications: 📖 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – presented by Senior Research Officer Dr Eve Cobain & Advocacy and Policy Officer Dr Rebecca Jackson 📖 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 (funded by Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission) – presented by Research Officer Aisling Meyler These projects showcase our commitment to evidence-based research, highlighting the power of community education in driving social cohesion, equality, and justice. 🌍✨ A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, and to all the contributors who made this research possible. Find out more about our publications and opportunities to engage with our work here! [https://lnkd.in/eXGEK8bb] #CEAD #CEST

🔎 How do we measure who participates in education and the impact it has on communities and policy? Access and impact are key to understanding whether learners’ participation is truly effective and meaningful. The ENHANCE Cartesian Matrix is a practical tool that helps us explore: ✅ Who has access ✅ Under what circumstances ✅ How societies and policies are affected 📊 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dcsXXP9T 👥 With our partners: European Association for the Education of Adults - EAEA, SOLIDAR & SOLIDAR Foundation, Stichting ABC, SVEB Schweizerischer Verband für Weiterbildung, Färnebo folkhögskola, das kollektiv, CINOP Global #EducationImpact #LearnerVoice #ENHANCE