Who or what, you might ask, is your local Adult and Community Education Network, ‘ACE’ for short? The WBOP ACE Network is made up of the following members;
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Sue Hawkins from Otumoetai College
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Carol Power from Te Puke High School
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Jan Lenihan Mount Maunganui College
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Mavis Ollerenshaw Tauranga Girls College
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Gaye Elisaia Tauranga Boys College
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Deb Thorp Katikati Resource Centre
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Philippa Cairns Literacy and Language BOP
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Marlene Helms from the Deaf Association
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Jocelyn Read from Tauranga Library
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Lin Ayo Bay of Plenty Polytechnic
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Nyree Sherlock and Karen Tindall from the University of Waikato
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Tauranga Senior Net
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Otumoetai Community Centre
Members are proud to be part of a network which promotes the recognition of ACE in our community.
ACE has these 5 primary objectives which have been set by the Government.
1) to strengthen social cohesion
2) to strengthen communities
3) to raise foundation learning skills (for example literacy and numeracy)
4) to encourage lifelong learning
5) to persuade learners whose initial learning was unsuccessful to ‘give it a go’.
ACE is informal community based learning which takes learning to the learner. So courses, workshops and seminars are often held informally in community halls, libraries, companies, churches, homes, schools, and marae. ACE also includes short courses or seminars run by polytechnics, universities, wânanga and community groups. The flexibility of provision enables access to learning which many would otherwise miss out on.
New research conducted by independent analysts Price Waterhouse Coopers shows that over 400,000 New Zealander’s, about 12% of the working age population, attended adult learning programmes last year. And internationally that is very high, as for example in Australia the participation rate is only about 3%.
So why do so many Kiwi’s take part? It seems that most people become ACE learners to improve confidence and self-esteem, for enjoyment, or to move towards further study and employment.
Contact one of your local ACE providers to find out about upcoming courses and activities.
Sue Hawkins
ACE Network Co-ordinator
Otumoetai College
phone 5762316 ext 794
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