Adult Learners' Week

Adult Learners' Week (ALW) is an annual week-long national campaign delivered each May which seeks to engage and inspire people to pursue adult learning - either to catch up on skills not learnt at school, to learn for or at work, or to learn for fun.

Organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), and sponsored by the European Social Fund, ALW is the UK's largest learning campaign. It is a collaborative venture between education and training providers, broadcasters, and national and local government.

As well as promoting education and training for adults it celebrates the learning achievements of adult learners through regional and national awards, including a number of ESF awards for individuals, groups and projects. The Adult Learners' Week Awards recognise the commitment, interest and passion that adults bring to their learning. They are a great way of celebrating the achievements of learners and raising the profile of learning opportunities across the country.

Adult Learners' Week 2010

Adult Learners' Week 2010 will take place from 15-21 May 2010. Nominations are now open and you can download a nomination form from the Adult Learner's Week website. The closing date for nominations is noon Friday 29 January 2010.

The regional and national awards are a great way of celebrating learners' achievements and encouraging others to get involved.

There are ESF awards for learners who have learnt as individuals or in a group, and for projects whose innovative approach has motivated and inspired learners. Nominations can relate to those funded from the latter part of the 2000-2006 ESF programme and from early 2007-2013 ESF project activity.

Everyone nominated will receive a Certificate of Achievement, and the winners will be invited to an awards ceremony and receive a learning voucher.

Nominations need to be made by mid-January 2010. Following completion of the short listing and selection process the winners of the awards will be announced in late April.

Adult Learners' Week culminates in an Awards Ceremony on 21 May at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, at which the national winners will receive their awards. During the week there will also be regional events and related publicity activity to celebrate each region's winners. Government Office and CFO ESF teams are encouraged to participate in the regional events and help publicise ESF winners. More information on regional events will be available in 2010.