Inspiring learners awarded Adult Learners Week 2024 prizes

ALA’s charitable arm, the Learning Changes Lives Foundation, 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.

Ting Xu, Glen Eira Learning Centre (Victoria) (pictured left)

Ting Xu 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.

Melanie Cameron, Sunshine Coast Libraries (Qld)

Since joining the Sunshine Coast Libraries’ Read and Write for Life program, Melanie 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.

Mathew Bishop – PAE Libraries (SA)

Mathew 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.

Ashleigh Bertram Read Write Now (WA)

When Ashleigh 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.

Piyanut (Nuk) Clear, Here2Help (NSW)

Nuk 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.

Russell Constable, Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre (Victoria)

When Russell 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.