Lifelong learning changes lives. Inspire us and share your story.

The annual Inspire! Adults Learning Awards celebrate the achievements of exceptional individuals and community projects who have shown outstanding passion, commitment, and drive to improve themselves, their community or workplace through learning.

The awards highlight the impact of lifelong learning in Wales and is a chance to demonstrate the value of investing in life changing opportunities.

Inspire us by making a nomination; we seeking nominations on behalf of individuals and community projects whose learning achievements will inspire others to return to or take up learning – people who have improved their lives and / or the lives of others and gained a positive and life-changing experience from adult learning.

The awards ceremony will take place as part of the annual Adult Learners’ Week campaign.

Nominations must be submitted by the NEW closing date: Wednesday 7 May 2025

2025 Award Categories:

• Skills for Work Award
• Young Adult Learner Award
• Life Change Award
• Essential Skills for Life Award
• Learning for Better Health Award
• Ageing Well Award
• New Welsh Speaker Award
• Shared Futures Award
• Hywel Francis Award for Community Impact
• Learner Voice Award (NEW for 2025)

Criteria:

• Entries are free and open to individuals and organisations living and working in Wales
• Learning can be accredited or non-accredited and take place in any setting, from workplace to classroom, in the home or in the community
• Anyone aged 16 or over can nominate / be nominated for an Inspire! Award, please refer to the guidance on each category
• The Inspire! Awards raise the profile of opportunities for lifelong learning. If your nomination is selected as a winner, we will want to share your nominee’s story in press and media activities
• At Learning and Work we are dedicated to supporting equality and diversity and to improving access to education for all groups. We welcome nominations from all backgrounds and with all different kinds of life experiences and abilities.
• Entrants for the individual categories must be nominated by another person – this could be a friend, mentor, a colleague, family member, or employer who is well known to the individual nominated
• Entries for the project / organisation categories should be written by a team or project leader and endorsed by a senior manager / referee who knows the provision well. We also welcome statements from learners or employees involved in the project / organisation to support the nomination.
• Both nominee and nominator statements must be completed
• Nominees and nominators must agree and sign the declaration in our nomination form
• You can submit your nomination statements through a short video clip of no more than 5 minutes.