No More Sticking Plasters Please

For just over a decade now adult learners and the organisations that support them have been looking for ways to get Media and Government to notice just how much adult learning contributes to our society.

From cognitive ability to support healthy ageing; family learning to support children's success, training to prevent re-offending and meta skills to support adult employment there's much to suggest that adult learning is absolutely fabulous for all of our people. 

So you could have knocked me down with a feather when I was asked today for the first time in a while (by some adult learners)-why are we so invisible to everyone?  

Are we so untouchable that people don't want to know us? Am I so insignificant that people just don't care? Or is it that I just don't know the right people?

And I could have cried when I heard, 'I've never felt so alone, so isolated and so undervalued as I have in this last ten years or so-the Forth Road Bridge looks tempting'.

Please remember everyone that although we look all right on the outside -it's the inside that matters! 

It's never a good time to be let down, but in spectacular style after the promise of riches, it can be devastating. Adult learners are people, sometimes young, sometimes old but to feel invisible is unacceptable for everyone.  

We get no chances because people judge us and don't think we're worth it-what kind of empowered society is that?

A little embarrassed today to be Scottish.

Time for change we think-'adult learning is too important to be left to chance'-Westminster All Party Group

We do have friends in high places but it always felt disingenuous to ask them to stand up-Maybe it's Time Now?