Learning and Work Institute announces the launch of the Inspire! Tutor Awards 2026, celebrating the dedication, passion, and impact of adult learning tutors across Wales.

Last month, Swansea came alive with celebration as we honoured the incredible achievements of adult learners at the awards ceremony. The room was filled with emotion, warmth, and powerful stories of perseverance and triumph. Each story is a shining example of the impact of lifelong learning as a catalyst for change that opens doors, builds confidence, and sparks real transformation.

September has arrived, and my focus is on Adult Learners’ Week and coordinating a campaign with hundreds of partners across Wales. Together, we aim to encourage more adults to build their skills with confidence. We approach the campaign by identifying key partners to reach into communities and crafting messages that resonate with those who may have learned too early that education isn’t for them.

Every September, Adult Learners’ Week shines a light on the transformative power of learning. It’s a chance to celebrate people who have taken the leap back into education, and to reflect on what more we can do to ensure that opportunities are open to everyone in Wales. Initial findings from Learning and Work Institute’s Adult Participation in Learning Survey offer a timely reminder of both the promise and the challenge.

Adult Learners’ Week offers an opportunity to think about how the system works for adults. I suggest that in the context of the qualifications system – at least in Wales – there needs to be a 2-stage approach: a pre-16 model centred on the new Curriculum and intended to build core competencies ahead of ‘specialisation’ post-16, and a flexible post-16 model that allows for diverse routes of specialisation and an ability to change tracks as economic opportunities open up.

Adult Learners’ Week is a timely reminder of just how transformative learning can be, and this year’s theme – ‘Never Stop Learning’ – highlights why lifelong learning is so important. And with groups across Wales providing a wide range of formal and informal learning for older people, there are lots of opportunities to get involved and try something new.

In honour of Adult Learners' Week in Wales, I'm reflecting on my connection with the DOVE Workshop, a powerful experience that transformed my understanding of community education.