Adult Learners Week Mobility

Background: 

Adult Learners’ Week in Wales has always been an important opportunity to promote adult education and skills opportunities for adults. However, a review of the campaign showed the Learning and Work Institute that they needed to rethink their promotional approach.  

The Learning and Work Institute in Wales wanted to engage more closely with learners, to listen to their voices and use their experiences to inform future policy and practice. They also saw the opportunity to reach individuals, families and communities who engage least with learning opportunities through delivering messages from familiar faces that they are more likely to listen to, trust, and engage with. 

The organisation recognised that their Inspire Award Winners, whose lives had been changed through education, could be valuable in promoting learning in their own communities. Rather than using their stories for a one-off publicity moment, the organisation aimed to help the winners develop their skills to become Learning Ambassadors. 

At the same time, adult learning services were operating in a difficult environment. Public funding was becoming tighter resulting in fewer services and reduced staff levels. The Learning and Work Institute needed to refresh its approach and reach the communities most in need of learning and skills support. 

The project offered the opportunity to build the skills of their learners, staff and practitioners, provide development opportunities and to have time and space for fresh thinking, identifying issues and finding solutions. 

Objectives: 

The project had two main objectives. 

First, it aimed to build the capacity of Learning and Work Institute staff and partners to develop more effective promotional campaigns. These campaigns needed to widen participation in learning and skills, particularly among people and communities most in need of support. 

Second, the project wanted to strengthen the role of Learning Ambassadors to act as advocates in their communities. By learning from European partners, learners would be better prepared to share their experiences and help others find suitable learning opportunities. 

Implementation: 

For the project, the Learning and Work Institute partnered with organisations including AONTAS in Ireland, the Andragoski Center Republike Slovenije, Learn for Life in the Netherlands and an adult education organisation in Estonia. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic their study visit in Estonia could not be completed. Continued contact and a possible virtual visit were considered, but this could not be arranged because many organisations were unavailable. 

Three study visits took place, in Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands. Each study visit involved six participants from Wales, with a mix of learners, practitioners and national staff. The visits were co-designed with host organisations and participants which ensured a rich exchange of experience.  

In Ireland, the group examined the role of learning ambassadors in advocacy and promotion and the framework of the Learners as Leaders programme. 

In Slovenia, participants saw how the Lifelong Learning Festival used Learning Parades and enhanced digital and social media promotion to achieve mass participation.  

In the Netherlands, the group learned about the celebration and support for language volunteers and ambassadors. The ABC Ambassador programme provided insight into the role of learners to raise awareness and providing signposting in communities and in workplace. The Learning and Work Institute later hosted a reciprocal visit so practitioners in Wales could explore these ideas further. 

Results and impact: 

The project created benefits for individuals, organisations and the wider campaign.  

The Ireland visit provided a foundation for a more structured Learning Ambassador programme in Wales. The visit to Slovenia led to the development of the new Adult Learners’ Week platform, greater use of Facebook to promote and deliver events, and the launch of podcasts including Change Your Story for Adult Learners’ Week 2020. The Netherlands visit influenced thinking about English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) delivery in Wales and the potential for enhancing volunteer training.  

For many learners, the experience was transformative. Travelling and engaging with partners developed confidence and reinforced that they have valuable skills to contribute to the Institute’s campaigning work. 

The project also created lasting relationships between Welsh participants and European partners. These connections continued beyond the end of the project and led to further collaboration and joint working. 

To find out more about this case study, visit the Erasmus+ project database: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2018-1-UK01-KA104-047462