2024 Adult Learners Week Scholarship winners
Meet the five outstanding adult learners who are this year’s scholarship winners.
John Lindsay, South Australia
61-year-old River Ngarrindjeri man, John Lindsay, really liked being at school but always struggled with learning – “I could never concentrate on anything”. Despite not being able to read or write, John moved from primary to secondary school before deciding it was time to “leave nd go to work”.
John then spent the next 30 years working different jobs, including grave digging, house repairs, and council work. He also became a leader within his community and it was his responsibilities – and his daughter’s urging – that led him to the Tauondi Aboriginal College in Port Adelaide. Deciding to start the College’s Skill Up program, John found that he loved learning and the culturally safe space in which Tauondi operates. He also found a whole new world had opened through becoming used to operating a computer.
Now studying a Certificate I in Access to Vocational Pathways, John wants to continue learning and developing skills so that he can continue to contribute to the needs of his community. As a respected Aboriginal mentor, John is also supporting others while they study at Tauondi and showing them that you can learn at any age.
Kirsty Marshall, Victoria
Kirsty Marshall says taking part in the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Sustaining Economic Empowerment and Dignity for Women (SEED) program is the “best thing I’ve ever done in my life”. Having survived domestic abuse, Kirsty said the program, which provides financial coaching and access to educational programs, training opportunities and employment assistance, has “pulled me out of my shell and given me confidence again”.
Kirsty was convinced that Samantha Hugill, the Brotherhood’s Project Coordinator, was “pulling my leg” when she rang to tell her that she had won a scholarship. “I was completely shocked and just kept saying what, what are you talking about. I still can’t believe it”.
Joining the SEED program earlier this year, Kirsty worked conscientiously to find ways back into paid employment after a two decade break followed setbacks in her early learning and family life. Later, the relationship affected by family violence also prevented her from continuing a career in the support and care sector.
Kirsty’s progress led to her graduating from the SEED leadership program, Change Makers. Through Change Makers, participants learn to write and are coached into presenting their Significant Change story publicly. She is now engaged in a six month certificate course which, she hopes, will help her return to being a personal care worker in aged care.
Tahnee Baker, NSW
When Tahnee Baker found out that she had won a scholarship, there was only one place she wanted to be to celebrate – the Tamworth Community College which, she says, has given her a renewed sense of purpose and confidence and the skills to pursue a new career.
Tahnee’s commitment to her adult education journey is exceptional. Just two weeks into starting a Certificate III in Business so that she could transition from a hands-on work background, Tahnee suffered a stroke.
This life-altering event would have caused many people to withdraw from their studies. However, Tahnee missed only one week and immediately arranged a catch-up session with her trainer. Despite ongoing challenges with her vision and the physical strain of sitting for extended periods, Tahnee completed her qualification at the same time as her classmates and has since completed short courses in time management, effective communication, resumé writing and interview techniques.
Finding that the structure and flexibility of the course allowed her to balance her responsibilities as a mother, Tahnee now feels empowered to strive for more for herself and as a role model for her daughter.
Jypsey-Lee Banfield-Patterson, Northern Territory
Finding out that she had won a scholarship was a very welcome boost for Jypsey-Lee, a young mum who is working hard to study so she can achieve her employment goals and build a future for her and her daughter.
Dyslexia and learning difficulties affected Jypsey-Lee’s enjoyment of school. However, since starting an adult learning journey as a young mum, she has come to understand that she learns differently from others, rather than not being able to learn.
Beginning her community services certificate course when her daughter was only two months old, Jypsey is now one of NT’s Batchelor Institute’s most reliable students. While classes start at 9.30am two days per week, Jypsey arrives at 7.30am to set up the classroom – often after a 25 minute walk to get there.
With her daughter now in child care and knowing now that she can complete all her work before other students, Jypsey is now thinking about professional jobs that she could get – particularly the type of jobs that will enable her to draw on her transferable skills and lived experience. At this stage, she is thinking of becoming a sexual health nurse or an alcohol and other drugs counsellor.
Learning Changes Lives Foundation prizes
The Learning Changes Lives Foundation – ALA’s charitable organisation – supports the people who need it most to gain access to the life-changing capacity of education.
In 2024, six recipients received prizes funded by the Foundation during Adult Learners Week.
Mathew Bishop (SA) began in the Adult Literacy Program at PAE Libraries in 2021, as one of the first participants in this Covid-19 recovery program. Prior to joining the program, Mathew relied on family members to help him with everyday reading and writing tasks.
Attending every week, Mathew proved to be a keen learner and quickly picked up skills he had set as his goals. As his confidence grew, Mathew started to read more independently and, more recently, he has been learning digital skills by using reading apps on iPads. As well as reinforcing his reading skills, this is assisting him to gain basic digital literacy understanding. Able to see the growing importance of computers in his workplace and personal life, Mathew now wants to embrace digital technology.
Since joining the Sunshine Coast Libraries’ Read and Write for Life program, Melanie Cameron (Qld) has developed new communication skills which have led to her engaging more actively in class discussions, sharing her ideas with greater ease, and participating in group activities without hesitation. For Melanie, a 22-year-old woman with an intellectual impairment, confidence has been a key driver in her development as a reader, writer, and speaker, enabling her to make significant strides in all areas of learning.
Melanie is now keen to also extend her drawing skills by learning and producing digital art and media, with the goal of showcasing her creations on online platforms like Instagram and TikTok. She has a passion for creativity and technology, as well as her desire to connect with a broader audience.
When Russell Constable (Vic) arrived at the Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre, he had never previously considered adult education. After working long hours in a physically demanding job for 15 years, and then experiencing a life changing injury, Russell was worried he might never work again. Realising he needed digital skills if he was going to be able to move into less physically demanding work, Russell enrolled in a Basic Computers and Beyond course. After enjoying that so much and seeing new opportunities opening up for him, he then completed an Intermediate Computers course in 2023.
Russell is a shining example of how an adult education journey can change your life. From working in a factory to gaining new skills and confidence, Russell is now employed as a disability support worker after also completing a Certificate IV in Disability Support.
Piyanut (Nuk) Clear NSW is determined to reach her goals despite significant challenges and this has impressed everyone at TAFE NSW in Bega and Here 2 Help, a literacy and numeracy collaboration between TAFE NSW Bega and the Bega Valley Shire Library.
Nuk’s family fled Myanmar when she was a child and, as a refugee living in Thailand, she received minimal education. Moving to Australia with her young son after her husband was killed in a car accident, Nuk studied English, and later a Certificate II in Hospitality, at NSW TAFE Bega. With one on one support through Here 2 Help and an enormous amount of hard work and determination, Nuk was ultimately able to obtain a driver’s licence and achieve Australian citizenship.
Currently working as a kitchen hand, Nuk hopes to be able to combine her commitments as a single parent with more work and study so she can improve her written and spoken English and gain more skills and qualifications.
When Ashleigh Bertram WA was seeking information about Read Write Now’s literacy program, she had some key requirements – the course needed to further improve the reading and spelling skills she had started to build in a previous literacy and numeracy course and it needed to be flexible enough for her to access from her new home base on the remote Cocos Islands!
Ashleigh has been part of the Read Write Now program for eighteen months now, taking part in weekly online sessions with her WA based tutor. Through the program, Ashleigh has applied her literacy skills to update the marketing brochures and forms for her small business, Cocos Island Picnics, and she recently, successfully completed her Construction White card with support from the program. Obtaining this qualification has enabled Ashleigh to gain employment cleaning a construction site on the island.
As a lifelong learner, Ashleigh wants to keep improving her reading and spelling skills so she can continue to advance her future employment opportunities.
Ting Xu Vic connected with the Glen Eira Adult Learning Centre through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). Wanting to improve her English and then pursue other courses as she forged her new life in Australia, Ting has now worked hard to also complete courses in employment and computer skills, Australian Studies and an Introduction to Early Childhood Education.
Ting sees education and applying it in her new home as a way to connect and explore her new identity in Australia. Ting takes her learning seriously and is an excellent example of learning as an opportunity for exploration and growth. Ting’s confidence has improved and she is now navigating life in Australia with direction and purpose. Her English has improved and this has given her the courage to join community groups, initiate conversations with her neighbours and feel part of a wider community.
Ting is now exploring volunteer opportunities in the primary education sector and community services. With an Adult Learners Week scholarship, she would like to either pursue the Certificate III in Education Support or Certificate III in Community Services.
