Adult Learning Australia is very proud to announce the winners of the 2011 National Adult Learners Awards held in Melbourne on the 26th September 2011 at Beer Deluxe in Federation Square.
Australian Adult Educator of the Year: Dr Jean Serle.
Jean was a founding member of the Queensland Council for Adult Literacy where she developed innovative and accessible programs for adult learners for over almost thirty years. In the early 1980s, Jean worked as a voluntary tutor to assist disadvantaged adults to improve their literacy skills and participate more fully in their workplace and community. Prior to retiring four years ago, Jean worked as an academic at Griffith University, specialising in adult literacy and numeracy studies. Her belief was that all teachers should be literacy and numeracy teachers. Over the course of her career, Jean was active in advising government and increasing funding and recognition for adult education in Queensland. Congratulations, Jean.
Australian Community Based Learning Program of the Year: Living and Working Sustainably, Byron Region Community College.
Byron Region Community College have shown inspiring leadership in their development of a green campus, training tutors to provide sustainability courses, running 17 Living & Working Sustainably courses and lobbying all three levels of government to put sustainability education on the agenda. They have had a catalytic effect on sustainability education in the Region and inspired others organisations around Australia to green up their centres. Congratulations, Byron Region Community College.
Australian Community Based Adult Learning Provider of the Year: Sandybeach Centre.
Located in Sandringham, Melbourne, Sandybeach Centre is a Registered Training Organisation offering nationally accredited training as well as many practical, leisure and health and wellbeing courses and services to the community. Even in a highly competitive environment, enrolments at Sandybeach continue to grow largely due to the centre’s commitment to personalising the individual learning experience and addressing each individual’s specific barriers to learning. Sandybeach have shown a high level of innovation in their use of virtualisation technology, which has been used across Victoria as an example of ICT best practice. Congratulations, Sandybeach Centre.