Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 1 Our year and our work Summary Annual Report 2019 Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 2 _____ _____ Our mission Our mission is to advocate for literacy as a right and to collaborate with our partners to influence policy and practice to support the development of literacy, numeracy and digital skills. Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 3 Contents About NALA 5 Our achievements in 2019 6 A message from our chairperson 14 An overview from our CEO 16 About this summary annual report 19 Objective 1 20 Research 22 Awareness campaigns 27 Student work 40 Plain English and Literacy Advisory Service 46 Objective 2 58 Integrating literacy 60 Distance learning 64 Tutor training and professional development 70 Objective 3 78 Policy work 80 Strengthening our effectiveness as an organisation 92 Membership 93 Communicating our work 95 Administration 98 Structure and funding 99 Some acronyms and terms explained 101 Looking ahead to 2020 108 4 NALA Annual Report 2019 Our year and our work _____ _____ 481,000 1 in 4 adults (24–64 years) have less adults struggles than a Leaving Certificate with everyday (Level 4) qualification2 maths such as working out a 20% discount or dividing up a bill In a recent study1, Ireland came 17th out of 24 countries in an adult literacy survey 1 in 6 adults find everyday text, such as a bus timetable or medical instructions, hard to read and understand 1. OECD Survey of Adult Skills (2012) also known as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2. SOLAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) analysis of CSO (Labour Force Survey data) Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 5 About NALA 481,000 1 in 4 adults (24–64 years) have less adults struggles than a Leaving Certificate with everyday NALA stands for the National Adult Literacy Agency. We are a charity and a membership organisation. NALA (Level 4) qualification2 maths such as working out a 20% membership is open to all people and organisations discount or interested and involved in adult literacy. dividing up a bill We exist to support people with literacy and numeracy difficulties so that they can fully take part in society and have access to learning opportunities that meet their needs. We are committed to making access to literacy and numeracy development a human right. In a recent study1, Ireland came We want to ensure that no adult is left behind. To do this we: • lobby for further investment to raise adult literacy levels; out of 17th 24 • help people to develop the literacy, numeracy and digital skills they countries in an adult need to play their full part in society; literacy survey • engage with and respond to the needs of our members; • work with education providers, particularly the Education and Training Boards (ETBs), to identify and share best practice in how we teach adult literacy, numeracy and digital skills; • help to make learning and courses more accessible to people with 1 in 6 adults find everyday literacy and numeracy needs; text, such as a bus timetable • support organisations and services to be aware of literacy and to or medical instructions, hard communicate clearly; and to read and understand • conduct research into literacy needs and best practice teaching and learning. 1. OECD Survey of Adult Skills (2012) also known as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2. SOLAS Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) analysis of CSO (Labour Force Survey data) Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 6 _____ _____ Our achievements in 2019 Individuals 985 We raised awareness Our information helpline 84% of adult education staff referred 985 callers Among the people services and helped to ETB adult education who saw our awareness services, NALA’s distance campaign, 84% believe people improve learning service and it was effective at their literacy and WriteOn.ie encouraging people to numeracy. seek help to improve their literacy, numeracy, 630 and digital skills We sent 630 information packs about adult education services to members of the public We did interviews and raised awareness 145 ETB adult about literacy on literacy centres or 11 national and services received regional radio 1,320 shows, TV 1,400 promotional two people got QQI shows and in national posters during our 56 accreditation through our and regional newspapers awareness campaign distance learning service • 3,225 Level 2 minor awards The media coverage we received during 2019 was • 1,125 Level 3 minor worth the equivalent of €125,000 in advertising awards value and €375,000 in public relations value Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 7 Further Education and Training (FET) tutors 220 70,000 learners received 2,455 There were 70,000 We helped to learning sessions with our sessions on improve the quality distance learning tutors WriteOn.ie of teaching. Webinars We produced 10 distance We held three webinars learning focusing on critical literacy, worksheets technology skills and and they were reading with children downloaded 500 times 785 people attended our 18 professional development events 105 685 Our professional FET practitioners took part people took part in our development event in our integrating literacy literacy awareness training videos were watched workshops sessions 1,500 times Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 8 _____ _____ Students 180 Parents people attended our student days in Dublin We represented and Galway We helped parents the views of adult support their literacy students children’s literacy and supported their 16 and numeracy learning. development. students contributed to our student subcommittee, a national committee of 1,970 adult literacy students. students took part The subcommittee held 7 in learning activities meetings during the year funded by our Student 220,000 Development Fund people used our website 20 helpmykidlearn.ie students were involved as learner representatives in 1,850 awareness raising events people received our monthly and activities helpmykidlearn e-zine 1 50,000 There were over 400,000 in grants was shared views of our online We reached 170,000 between 88 adult education promotional videos of people with posts on our centres through our Student students during literacy helpmykidlearn Facebook Development Fund awareness week page Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 9 Organisations We worked with organisations to help make their services more accessible to 100 120 people with literacy pharmacies and 5 general people from 50 needs. practices now have the organisations attended our Crystal Clear mark Plain English Awards 756 We delivered 9 health people did our plain literacy workshops to 94 English training healthcare professionals organisations used our and improved their and spoke at 3 conferences Plain English Editing and communications skills about health literacy Training Service Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 10 _____ _____ Policy makers • We worked to make sure the views of adults with 7 literacy and numeracy We made 7 written submissions needs are heard by to the Government in 2019 policy makers. In 2019: • We made 7 written submissions to the Government • We prepared a pre-budget submission for the Department of Finance and the Department of Education and Skills • We lobbied 52 politicians to advocate for increased investment in adult literacy • Our CEO addressed 2 Oireachtas Joint Committees • We contacted 36 candidates in the local and European elections asking them to support adult literacy • We asked all political parties to progress the Plain Language Bill • We attended 6 European conferences on adult literacy and adult education • The Vice President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, spoke about adult literacy at our AGM Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 _____ _____ 11 Working with stakeholders In 2019 we worked with many stakeholders, detailed below, and contributed to national policies that support adults who want to improve their literacy and numeracy. We did this through: • meetings, • briefing papers, • consultations with the public, • presentations, and • workshops. National strategy Stakeholder Further Education and • SOLAS Training Strategy 2014 – • Department of Education and Skills 2019 and National Adult • Education and Training Boards and their staff Literacy and Numeracy • Education and Training Boards Ireland Strategy • QQI – Quality and Qualifications Ireland Strategy for Technology • Adult learners Enhanced Learning in • People with unmet literacy or numeracy needs Further Education and • Maynooth University Training 2016-2019 • Cedefop • RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) Practitioner Network • Malta’s Ministry of Education and Employment • Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) • Fønix AS The National Strategy • Schools and teachers to Improve Literacy • Home School Liaison Co-ordinators and Tusla and Numeracy among • Department of Education and Skills Children and Young • Parents People 2011 – 2020 Our year and our work NALA Annual Report 2019 12 _____ _____ Pathways to Work 2016 – • Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection 2020 Healthy Ireland: A • Department of Health framework for improved • HSE – Health Service Executive health and wellbeing 2013 • Hospitals – 2025 • Pharmacies Sláintecare • Irish Pharmacy Union • Trinity College Dublin • University College Dublin • University College Cork Putting People