Adult Education staff recognised in New Year’s Honours 2020

Chair of HOLEX, Pat Carrington, said:

“We are delighted that our members work is being recognised in the New Year Honours 2020 list. They all are fantastic advocates for adult education and demonstrate the true values of adult education. We are all very excited that adult education and lifelong learning has received recognition in this round of Honours with 5 of our members receiving an honour. We all feel very passionate about our work and we know that, going forward, we need to be centre stage in preparing people for the jobs of the future, improving integration and individual wellbeing.”

Our congratulations go to:

• Amanda Reeve who is the curriculum manager at Norfolk Community Learning Services and works in family learning
• Lisa Dancer, Adult Education Quality Manger for Hillingdon  who is leading on work with Adult Learners with Mental Health Issues
• Aziza Chaudry, Quality Manager for Adult Education in Wolverhampton
• Carolyn Keen who is the Chair of Governors at Westminster Adult Education Service
• Sue Pember who leads on Policy at Holex

Aziza Chaudry, Quality Manager for Adult Education in Wolverhampton, said:

“I feel humbled and very moved by the sentiments behind the nomination but struggled with the decision to accept or not.

“Education has always been a key passion within my family. Adult Education in particular can be truly transformational in the contribution it can and does make in delivering social justice and equality.

“I have been very blessed in having had the pleasure and privilege to work in Wolverhampton with some of the best of the best Adult Education staff and students anywhere.

“I am accepting this award on their behalf. Thank you all.”

Lisa Dancer, Adult Education Quality Manger for London Borough of Hillingdon, said:

“When I think of the early days of the mental health pilot and subsequent work, I remember the determination, energy and time it took visiting GP surgeries and other health partners. It was hard to get to past receptionists and very difficult to get to see a GP.  Working through these early stages is essential however to get any project going and I’m extremely proud of the work we did.  It’s a huge pleasure to see how much these same partners now value our provision and the impact it has on their communities. 

“Nowadays they come to us to talk about social prescribing and how they can refer adults into our classes and they want to work with us to make the mental health provision in Hillingdon even better for our residents.

“I feel overwhelmed to receive this Honour.  I’ve worked in Adult Learning for 26 years. I began as a learner in floristry, went on to teach and manage the department and I have spent the last 15 years as a member of the senior leadership team.  This project is a great example of the work that Adult Learning does and I’m proud of the impact it has had on vulnerable adults in Hillingdon.”

Carolyn Keen, Chair of Governors at Westminster Adult Education Service, Carolyn’s passion for adult education was evident in her response on learning of the award:

“Adult education cuts across every aspect of life. 2019 marked the centenary of the Ministry of Reconstruction’s Final Report on Adult Education, which highlighted that adult education provided the solution to the problems of disadvantage, disconnection and division in society.

“A hundred years later those aims still lie at the heart of what adult education seeks to achieve today. Services such as WAES support people who have unequal access to opportunities and engagement, helping them to learn new skills, form friendships and transform their lives.”

HOLEX represents a network of 140+ Adult Community Education (ACE) providers and is the sector membership body for Local Authority Community Learning (ACL) services, Institutes for Adult Learning (IAL) and independent third sector providers of adult education. HOLEX members, through a network of centres in every city and town in England, have the largest geographical reach of all providers of post-19 education and their goal is to work with those often furthest away from employment and society to ensure they are able to progress in life and work.