2019
NCGE FET Guidance Programme CPD for Staff of Adult Education Guidance Services - March 26th to 28th 2019
While the development of the FET Guidance Strategy remains ‘on hold’ pending the outcome of the DES Review of Career Guidance, work in Adult Education Guidance services continues apace. Staffing in the services has improved during the last year and NCGE FET continues its engagements with SOLAS, ETBI and ETBs on a number of significant developments across the FET arena – including the Adult Guidance Management System for the AEGS’ and for Guidance in FET in general.
Policies, strategies and developments affecting AEGS delivery of Guidance to adults interested in or pursuing FET need to be continually noted and factored into service delivery.
Last November, Andrew Brownlee, Executive Director Strategy and Knowledge, SOLAS, made a presentation on Social Inclusion in FET and Guidance at the last (NCGE hosted) National Forum on Guidance. At this time, we felt that this was a very useful policy based piece. It is vital that AEGS Guidance Coordinators and Counsellors have the opportunity to learn about SOLAS policies and in particular any Social Inclusion policies.
Adult Guidance Services continue to be covered by the relevant operational guidelines (DES Adult Education Guidance Initiative Operational Guidelines 2012) which state: ‘AEGI targets individuals and groups that experience particular and acute barriers to participation and are more difficult to engage in the formal learning process.’ Social Inclusion is therefore already an expectation and notable feature of the AEGS model of Guidance provision.
The Social Inclusion priority was further highlighted by news of the February ’19 launch of the IHREC Strategy Statement 2019 – 2021.
(See also - https://www.ihrec.ie/about/strategicpriorities/)
Equality and human rights are at the very heart of Guidance provision, social inclusion is the pulse of Guidance, and as we await developments on the development of the FET Guidance Strategy it seemed that the Guidance service staff would benefit greatly by hearing about ongoing policy developments in the area of social inclusion.
NCGE FET therefore secured the following speakers who contributed over the course of the 3 days
- Ivica Milicevic and Robert McCulloch, SOLAS
- Mary Kenny, EAL & ESOL Development Officer DDLETB
- Livia Bartolome, Business in the Community Ireland
- Rory O’Neill Irish Refugee Council
- Marion Wilkinson, National Disability Authority
- Donal Rice, Centre of Excellence for Universal Design NDA
NCGE invited Dr. Ebun Joseph to further facilitate the events – Dr. Joseph was very warmly received by AEGS Coordinators and Guidance Counsellors and we will be engaging with her again in the future!
With speakers from various areas of policy and practice part of the purpose of this CPD programme was to support AEGS Guidance staff in sharing knowledge, expertise and practice. The events were a reminder of the challenges to sincerely inclusive practice; and the need for useful collaboration and necessary cooperation between services in this crowded landscape where many agencies and services may be working on behalf of different Government departments and associated policies and strategies and priorities.
73 Guidance Service staff from AEGS nationally attended the CPD days, and evaluations confirm that the days were well received.
Presentations from the day are now available on the FET Guidance Handbook.
If you have any additional queries in relation to this CPD for FET please e-mail: luke.dunne@ncge.ie