6. Statement by the Minister for Education: Adult Learners Week

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:04 pm on 18 June 2019.

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Photo of Huw Irranca-Davies Huw Irranca-Davies Labour 6:04, 18 June 2019

It's great to have this statement in Adult Learners Week, because it reminds us that it is never too late. At whatever age you are in life, you keep on learning. It was certainly the case for me when I went back to do my Master's in my mid 30s, it was the case for my late mum when she did her Open University course in her 60s, and it was definitely the case when I was holding a surgery up in Gilfach Goch last Friday, and when, towards the end of the surgery, when I was having a cup of tea, before the day centre provided me with a lovely fish dinner and custard tart as well—before I did that, in came, 70 years young, Gwyn David. Gwyn wanted to tell me a little story. He'd been up here in Cardiff at the old coal exchange last week, at the Inspire! awards. Gwyn David, at 70 years of age—a guy who has not had an easy life and who, at the age of 19, went into Hensol with mild learning difficulties, and spent 20 years of his life overcoming those issues and being told he couldn't achieve—got learner of the year in the Inspire! awards at 70 years young. He loves education, he loves learning, he loves telling other people about it.

And that's what we're here to say: genuinely, whatever it is, whether it's changing career, new training, new education or, frankly, doing things like Bridgend County Borough Council are doing at the moment in every community centre, in every hall, in every library—tourism, IT, consulting, CV writing, buying and selling for small businesses, stress management—we all need that—holiday Spanish, holiday French, organic gardening—. Or Bridgend College, the further education college of the year at the TES further education awards this year, and doubly excellent according to Estyn, providing, in Adult Learners Week this week, free taster sessions in things like horticulture or modern languages, and so on. It is never too late. We all need that second chance. Some of us need a third, fourth and fifth chance as well, but we keep on learning, and I think the statement today is welcome, because it says that, in the myriad of adult learning that we have—full time, part time, taster courses and everything else—everybody should keep on learning and we need to do everything we can in Wales to make sure that people have that opportunity. And my question to the Minister is this: how do we make sure—? What's the best practice in the co-ordination of this so people know that, wherever they are—in Gilfach Goch or in Caerau, or wherever it is, not just in the centres of learning—there are opportunities for them? What's the best practice in sharing that co-ordination so that everybody knows they have that chance to have a second chance?