Carlow Kilkenny ETB project shortlisted for prestigious AONTAS STAR award

The ‘Working together, although we are apart’ project, based in Carlow and Kilkenny, has been shortlisted for an AONTAS STAR Award in the European Social Fund category.

The STAR Awards (Showcasing Teamwork, Awarding Recognition) are an awards initiative organised by the national adult learning organisation, AONTAS, to recognise and celebrate the work undertaken by adult learning initiatives throughout Ireland.

The project, run by Carlow and Kilkenny Education and Training Board’s Adult Learning Service, created a COVID-19 memories booklet with their learners. It resulted in tutors and staff working together to come up with an innovative and creative way to keep learners engaged and supported during lockdown in March 2020.

Close to fifty learners were involved and a number of tutors also submitted pieces for the booklet. Stories were shared, experiences were teased out, and it was a process and a journey, not just a final piece of work, a very positive journey for all involved.

Commenting on the shortlist, Dr Niamh O’Reilly, CEO of AONTAS, said:

“The STAR Awards are an excellent opportunity to celebrate the positive contribution that adult learning initiatives make to individual adult learners, local communities, and the Irish public.

“The focus this year is on the wider benefits of learning for development of a collective sense of belonging, equality, wellbeing, and growth. This is really reflected across the shortlist this year, and AONTAS is delighted to have such wonderful initiatives shortlisted for the STAR Awards.”

Commenting on the project, Nicola Finnegan, ESF Managing Authority said:

“This project highlights what can be achieved when we work together. This project engaged all learners across the Adult Learning Service ensuring 100% retention within the service during the initial lockdown. The support given by the staff and the commitment shown by learners is evident in this project.”

Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board’s Adult Learning Service is co-funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the European Social Fund. 

STAR Award winners will be announced during the week of the AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival (March 7th-11, 2022) and a celebratory event will also take place to acknowledge the incredible achievements of all of the groups involved

The STAR Awards form a key part of the annual AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival.

Over the past sixteen years, the Festival has become a firm fixture in the Irish adult learning calendar, showcasing the range of learning opportunities available across the country and encouraging adults to try something new.

This year’s Festival will feature a programme of events that will include a mix of online and face-to-face events across the country. A key focus of this year’s Festival is highlighting the variety of learning options available to prospective learners and sharing the message that you can #LearnYourWay in your local community. 

The STAR Awards is proudly sponsored by the Open University in Ireland and the Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCNNI), the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), Concern Worldwide, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the European Social Fund (ESF) and Mental Health Ireland. Sponsors will be offering special prizes to all 2022 STAR Award winners.

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