Celebrating Connections – Lancashire Adult Learning Welcomes Businesses From Around Lancashire to Prestigious Event
Business leaders, training experts and Lancashire Adult Learning (LAL) students and tutors gathered in the heart of East Lancashire to celebrate the transformative power of education.
The Celebration Event, held at the Impact Conference Centre in Burnley, brought together representatives from across the county to reflect on the impact of adult learning and the strength of collaborative working across Lancashire.
LAL, part of the East Lancashire Learning Group (ELLG), delivers both qualification and non-qualification-based programmes to almost 10,000 unique learners each year and is the number 1 provider of adult education in the country according to official government figures.
Working across 12 districts, the organisation partners with community groups, employers and local authorities to support a wide range of adult learners, meeting diverse needs from digital inclusion and health literacy to skills for employment and family learning.
The afternoon also included the presentation of three awards:
- Community Partner of the Year
George Martin and Sally Smith,
Volunteer Co-ordinators, Townley Hall, Burnley Borough Council
- Employer Partner of the Year
John Simpson,
Lancashire County Council
- Connector of the Year
Natalie Barton,
Department for Work and Pensions, SWAPS
These awards recognised outstanding contributions to adult learning and the power of partnership in supporting local people to learn, grow and progress.
The guest speaker was Caroline McDonald, CEO of HOLEX, the national organisation representing adult community education.
Nicola Hall, Director of Curriculum Innovation and Partnerships at Lancashire Adult Learning, said:
“Strong partnerships shape everything we achieve at Lancashire Adult Learning and this year’s celebration showed exactly what collaboration can deliver.
“By working side by side with our partners across Lancashire, we open doors, raise outcomes and give adult learners the confidence and skills to move forward.
“When we share our goals, we create real and lasting opportunities for people right across our county.”
Learner ambassadors were also invited to share their personal learning journeys. Their stories highlighted the life-changing impact of accessible adult education and the crucial role that community-based learning plays in building confidence, skills and aspiration.
Explore more about how Lancashire Adult Learning inspires learners, employers and stakeholders to become extraordinary: www.lal.eastlancslearning.ac.uk/.
For more member news, click here.
