Sadie Ward-MacDermott is the Adult Education Organiser for Louth. Given its proximity to the border, the region's adult education system faces its own distinct challenges and characteristics, shaped by the events of recent years. Happily, one of those characteristics is the growth of cross-border community education projects - the grass-roots activity that will form the bedrock of any future co-operation.
"Our preference is to provide training locally, rather than concentrating activity in the urban centres," says Ward-McDermott. Urban programmes, however, have led to many local people going on to third level study in universities as broadly spread as UCD, Maynooth, Portobello, Coleraine and Newry College of Further Education.
The organisation is committed to providing credit access-based programmes for Louth people, so that their educational efforts in the county can be rewarded at third level if they decide to pursue it. "It is no longer enough for training to be centralised, university-based", Ward-McDermott believes. "People are demanding higher qualifications at all levels, and should be able to access them locally."
In terms of literacy programmes, Louth Adult Education Office has for many years been working to upskill the local population, long before the Government made it a priority. Innovations like family literacy programmes and work-based literacy programmes are giving local people control over their own training, and making literacy programmes more accessible. Full-time courses available in the county include a broad range of PLC programmes and VTOS schemes, many of which are computer-based, in line with demand.
Leaving Cert programmes for adults have led to an 80 per cent placement rate in third level courses - an outstanding record by any standards. Those who do go on to third level through VTOS or Leaving Cert programmes tend to do very well: "Adults taking up these programmes have to go through an interview process, unlike school leavers who simply have to acquire a certain amount of points. In many ways the mature students are better prepared and more committed to their education."
Programmes tailored for specific groups have been very successful in the county. Members of the travelling community, for example, have benefited from NCEA and NCVA certificate programmes in a wide range of disciplines, not just the life skill programmes that tended to characterise training in the past. A recent project where 20 women trained in primary health care is a good example - most are now employed as primary health care workers in their own communities.
"We have taken enormous strides in integrating the efforts of various groups here in Louth," says Ward-McDermott. "In the past, there was much duplication and fund wastage because of a lack of communication between groups. Now we work with the Health Board, Social Welfare, community and social workers, Teagasc, the county councils, the ISPCC, community groups, Women's Aid and a wealth of other organisations to ensure that finance and effort is channelled into the right areas and has the maximum effect."
Louth Adult Education Office is now working with Dundalk Institute of Technology to devise a Community Development Programme leading to a certificate after two years. In this way local people can receive a qualification and make a career from working to develop their own communities.
