Adult Learners' Week. 17-23 May 2008.

• What is ALW?
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Adult Learners' Week 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.

It is the UK's largest learning campaign, and promotes education and training for adults, provides access to information and guidance, motivates more adults to participate in learning opportunities and celebrates the learning achievements of adult learners through regional and national awards. It is a collaborative venture between education and training providers, broadcasters, and national and local government.

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, NIACE, is the largest organisation working to promote the interests of learners and potential learners in England and Wales and, since 1992, we have brought together a diverse range of private, public and voluntary bodies to celebrate learners - in all their diversity - and recognise their achievements during Adult Learners' Week.

The Week has the backing of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the European Social Fund and is also supported nationally and locally by a raft of prestigious organisations as diverse as Prudential, Ofcom, the Office of Communications, Jobcentre Plus, the Co-op, Royal Mail, Ufi/learndirect, broadcasters - including the BBC, Channel 4 and ITV - and City and Guilds.

With events taking place across the country - in shops, cafes, museums, libraries, prisons, colleges and parks - and with a dedicated telephone helpline for learners, the benefits of taking part in courses, events and activities during Adult Learners' Week are highlighted to a huge range of audiences - young and old - in communities the length and breadth of the country.

Impacts in 2007

• Advertising space - worth over £4 million
• Three quarters of a million page views on the alw.org.uk website
• 57% of callers enrolled or started a course as a result of contact with the learndirect careers advice line during Adult Learners' Week, (compared to 52% in 2006 and 49% in 2005)
• 74% of callers said that Adult Learners' Week made them think seriously about the benefits of learning
• 85% of callers said they got all the information they needed from the advice line
• Just under half of total callers either short-term or long-term unemployed
• Over 50,000 people taking part in Adult Learners' Week events across the country