Learning and Work Institute and Hotcourses UK launch Festival of Learning’s Have a Go Month

Learning and Work Institute and campaign partner Hotcourses UK are calling on businesses, education providers and learning organisations to get involved with Festival of Learning 2018.

Learning benefits not just the individual but also their families, their communities, their employer, and the wider economy. But one million fewer adults are learning than five years ago and many say that they aren’t interested in developing their skills, that they feel too old or don’t have the confidence to learn something new.

Each year, Festival of Learning showcases thousands of opportunities for adults and families to engage in learning through Have a Go Month, which takes place in June.

From today (1 Mar), Hotcourses UK, the UK’s number one online course search, will host a calendar of events for all organisations to use to promote their taster sessions, open days, lectures and other learning activities.

To be eligible for inclusion on the Have a Go Month calendar, events must be free of charge and take place in England during June.

Organisations hosting learning events for Festival of Learning can access free promotional resources through the online partner hub, such as brand assets, posters, template media invitations, planning kit and much more.

Festival of Learning also encourages organisations to publicise their events on social media. Any event promoted with the campaign hashtag #lovetolearn will be re-shared by Festival of Learning.

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive of Learning and Work Institute said:

“Festival of Learning is a great opportunity to showcase the lifelong learning on offer in our communities and join us in encouraging more adults to participate in learning.

“Continued education has incredible benefits, helping people with their careers, health and lives, supporting businesses and the economy to grow, and building an inclusive and active society. We need to boost lifelong learning so more adults gain these benefits.”

Learning and Work Institute and Hotcourses UK formed a partnership in 2017 to reach and engage more learners through Festival of Learning.

Marcella Collins, MD of Hotcourses UK said:

“Many incredible achievements often start with the intention to have a go or try something new, so the purpose of Have a Go Month really resonates with us at Hotcourses.

“We have seen individuals turn their lives around in previous years through education, and we’re thrilled to again be working with Festival of Learning, with the aim of encouraging even more people from all walks of life to try their hand at something new.”

About Festival of Learning: Led by Learning and Work Institute and supported by the Department for Education, it builds on 25 years of Adult Learners’ Weeks.

The Festival aims to increase participation in learning and to celebrate the best in adult learning.

Each June, ‘Have a Go Month’ brings together a range of events and activities run by learning providers, businesses and other organisations to showcase learning opportunities available for everyone across the country.

Festival of Learning 2018 award winners will be announced in June 2018. Award sponsors include NOCN (Employer and Learning for Work) and ETF (Tutor).

About Learning and Work Institute: Learning and Work Institute is an independent policy and research organisation dedicated to lifelong learning, full employment and inclusion. We bring together over 90 years of combined history and heritage from the ‘National Institute of Adult Continuing Education’ (NIACE) and the ‘Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion’.

About Hotcourses Group: The Hotcourses Group was founded in 1996. The company provides the world’s largest web-based course and university/college search for domestic and international education and adult learning. Hotcourses Group web products and services are used by over 68 million students worldwide each year. The company employs over 300 people worldwide with offices in London, Sydney, Boston and Chennai.