Deadline: 17-Apr-23
Learning and Work Institute is looking for individuals, community projects, and organisations whose learning achievements will inspire others to return to or take up learning – people who have improved their lives and / or the lives of others and gained a positive and life-changing experience from adult learning.
The Inspire! awards celebrate the achievements of exceptional individuals, community projects and organisations who have shown outstanding passion, commitment and drive to improve themselves, their community or workplace through learning.
The awards highlight the impact of adult and lifelong learning, and is a chance to demonstrate the value of investing in life changing opportunities.
Award Categories
- Skills for Work: This award recognises an individual who can demonstrate outstanding determination to improve their employability through learning and who can demonstrate the role that learning has played in securing a job or the learning involved to achieve progression in work.
- Young Adult Learner: The winner of this award will be a person who has shown real commitment to their own learning journey, and who is one to watch for the future!
- Life Change & Progression: This award recognises an adult learner who has progressed in their learning, perhaps against the odds, through different stages, to university or into their dream job. The winner of this award will be someone who has really caught the learning bug. This maybe someone who has changed their life, career path or tackled health challenges through learning. This award winner will demonstrate that it’s never too late for a second chance, a new direction or a fresh start!
- Ageing Well: This award recognises the value of continuing to learn and gain new skills into older age, it will demonstrate the contribution that many older people make to lifelong learning. The award winner should demonstrate why they have continued to learn or engage in learning in later life, they may be active in sustaining self-organised learning in their community or may be passing on their skills across generations.
- Starting Out – Welsh Beginner: The ambition in Wales is to create a million Welsh speakers by 2050. For adults, there are opportunities to learn online, through a community class or in the workplace. This award recognises an individual who has made a start at learning Welsh by following a Learn Welsh course at Entry or Foundation level.
- Different Past: Shared Futures: Wales has a proud and diverse cultural heritage and a long-standing history in welcoming and supporting forced migrant and refugee communities. This award will recognise the achievements and contribution made by those who have chosen to make new lives here in Wales.
- Essential Skills for Life: Literacy, numeracy, digital, financial capability, health literacy and citizenship are central to people’s job and career prospects, wellbeing and ability to be active and engaged in their communities. Economic and social changes, and the advance of technology, are increasing their importance.
- Wales for Future Generations: Wales has led the way in legislating for the well-being of future generations and setting national well-being goals that cover global responsibility, ecological resilience, prosperity, health, culture and Welsh language, community cohesion and equality
- Hywel Francis Award for Community Impact: This award recognises the impact of a community project that has successfully used learning as a key tool to get people helping themselves and others.
- Workplace Change Makers: This award aims to clearly show both the business benefits to the organisation and the workers. It can showcase inclusivity, innovation and good practice models of learning and development; delivered by workforce partnerships. This may include improving career progression, delivering opportunities for those who may have had fewer chances to develop their skills at work or creating inspirational partnerships to meet objectives and accomplish sustainable outcomes.
- Wales for Future Generations: Wales has led the way in legislating for the well-being of future generations and setting national well-being goals that cover global responsibility, ecological resilience, prosperity, health, culture and Welsh language, community cohesion and equality.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entries are free and open to individuals and organisations living and working in Wales
- Learning can be accredited or non-accredited and take place in any setting, from workplace to classroom, in the home or in the community
- Anyone aged 16 or over can nominate / be nominated for an Inspire! Award, please refer to the guidance on each category
- At Learning and Work they are dedicated to supporting equality and diversity and to improving access to education for all groups. They welcome nominations from all backgrounds and with all different kinds of life experiences and abilities.
- Entrants for the individual categories must be nominated by another person – this could be a friend, mentor, a colleague, family member, or employer who is well known to the individual nominated
- Entries for the project / organisation categories should be written by a team or project leader and endorsed by a senior manager / referee who knows the provision well. They also welcome statements from learners/employees involved in the project / organisation to support the nomination.
- Both nominee and nominator statements must be completed.
- You can submit your nomination statements through a short video clip of no more than 3 minutes.
- Promote the awards:
- Inspire! Award winners demonstrate the transformational power of adult learning. They want to work with you to promote a culture of lifelong learning across Wales.
Criteria
- Young Adult Learner: This award is open to any learner aged between 16 – 25 (they particularly welcome nominations on behalf of care experienced young people, care leavers and young carers).
- Ageing Well: This award is open to learners over the age of 60.
- Starting Out – Welsh Beginner: They would like entrants to have demonstrated a commitment to developing their skills in Welsh and to using the language with their family, in their community or workplace.
- Different Past: Shared Futures: They are looking for an individual who has accessed learning and developed their skills, leading them onto further learning, employment, or volunteering.
- Hywel Francis Award for Community Impact: The winner of this award will be a project that works with people who would not otherwise engage in formal or informal education or training, or who need a second chance.
- Workplace Change Makers: The nomination may focus on a specific learning project or scheme within a workplace, it may be a whole organisation approach (large or small) to engaging with, developing, and supporting people; or it may be activity which has been led by trade unions and or other partners such as third sector and training providers.
Selection Process
- An independent panel of judges from the learning, skills and media sector will select the final category award winners
- Nominees who are shortlisted may be contacted again prior to the final selection panel meeting to provide further information to support their nomination.
- They would like any nomination for the Inspire! Awards to be a catalyst for celebrating the stories of adult learning. They would encourage anyone nominating for the awards to use the process to celebrate each nominee with local/regional award ceremonies and to join the Adult Learners’ Week festival to do this.
- All nominations selected as award winners will have their stories shared through press and media – this will include filming and press releases.
- The nominators of all Inspire! award winners will be notified in May 2023
For more information, visit Learning and Work Institute