A one hundredth birthday is worth celebrating and the Workers’ Education Association (WEA) have made a great job of it in 2013 with the centenary of the organisation’s arrival in Australia. In 1913, horses and carts were still a common sight in Sydney’s streets. Adelaide was scandalised by the arrival of a new dance […]

If the government could give adult learners one thing for Christmas, what would it be? Our new ALA board has lots of suggestions. Professor Barry Golding I’d like to see a concerted all-of-government effort to support and facilitate learning across all ages and for multiple benefits and purposes. There is a need for something aside […]

  Bianca Murray       Bianca Murray has discovered a passion for cabinet making. Karren Duri has realised how much she wants to be an electrician. And Maria Polodonis has a real gift when it comes to working under car bonnets. All three are recent graduates from Thornbury Neighbourhood House’s ‘Women in Trades and Technologies’ course. Co-ordinator Sarah Derum […]

It’s a wet and windy spring morning in Melbourne’s CBD. A group of young people are battling the wild weather and pasting sheets of paper to a brick wall opposite a busy exit from Flinders Street Station. Several sheets later, a pair of eyes stare out from the wall, then a nose is added – […]

Los Angeles has Grauman’s Chinese theatre where Hollywood stars are celebrated on the footpath. Philadelphia celebrates baseball on its Wall of Fame. In Oklahoma, it’s leading adult educators who are inducted each year into their own exclusive club. The International and Continuing Education Hall of Fame at the University of Oklahoma (OU) inducted its first […]

  Being an artist is one thing, but talking about your work and negotiating with buyers requires public speaking and negotiation skills. Desart’s Raewyn Kavanagh devised a program for Indigenous artists wanting to manage and market their own artwork. Aboriginal Artworker Program Desart is a membership organisation of Indigenous artists based in Alice Springs. Raewyn […]

  Volunteers are vital to the work we do. Recognising the work they do can make a big difference to how volunteers feel about their workplace. Here’s some tips on effective ways to show to show you appreciate the work of volunteers. 1. Make a good first impression The induction process can have a big impact […]

Adult educators Lisa Hoggard and Katrina Shields have written a book based on their passion – how to prepare and motivate people to build a sustainable future. The pair met in a classroom in 2011 as adult learners studying a Swinburne University course in Education and Training for Sustainability. ‘The course had a practical focus […]

  A new program in Queensland aims to get older adults on bikes and pedalling to a healthier lifestyle. ‘Seniors on Saddles’ was recently announced as one of 96 programs around Australia funded to promote active ageing, improve skills and foster social connections for senior Australians. Deb Crompton, 55, Workforce Development and Planning Officer with Queensland Fitness, […]

  Adult Learning Australia and Central Queensland University (CQU) recently partnered to conduct a one day forum ‘Building Rural and Regional Communities through Adult Education’. The forum was bookended by keynote addresses from Professor Barry Golding, ALA President and Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement at CQU. […]

  Dr Tony Brown, the new Editor of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning (AJAL) and Senior Lecturer in Adult and Organisational Learning at UTS finds being in a roomful of adult learners inspiring. ‘It’s very creative and exciting especially when you’ve got a room full of people who are firing on all cylinders. You […]

This upcoming forum on October 25th at The Mawson Centre in Adelaide explores the relationship between work and learning in Australia.  A range of speakers will offer insights, experiences and practical strategies about what Australians need to know to get and keep a job. Read more…  

  *****PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE***** The Centre of Adult Education (CAE) in partnership with Adult Learning Australia presents the Social Inclusion in Learning Conference as part of Social Inclusion Week 2013. What does social inclusion in learning mean? How can we respond to the challenge of creating new spaces of opportunity for everyone? Join […]

  What do Australians need to know to get and keep a job? Adult Learning Australia in partnership with the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) held a half-day forum on 25 October at the Mawson Centre, City of Salisbury, South Australia. This forum explored the linkages between literacy, workforce participation and employability and the […]

The AVETRA Conference will be held from the 22nd- 24th April, 2013, at Outrigger, Surfers Paradise, QLD, Australia. The theme will be: Informing changes in VET policy and practice: The central role of research. This year, Adult Learning Australia is partnering with AVETRA to provide an adult learning stream within the conference. Our aim is […]