An educational milestone like earning a high school equivalency certificate or passing an exam can significantly raise a student's self-esteem and confidence, leading to less dependency on government assistance programs such as welfare.
Studies conducted thus far have largely failed to uncover the extent and nature of learning opportunities available within third-sector community organizations such as homelessness organizations (Boeren 2016), which represents an essential gap that needs to be filled.
Counseling Services
Adult learners often juggle full-time jobs and family responsibilities that compete for their time, making it more challenging to balance academic work with family obligations and/or job performance, which could impact job performance and even cause them to abandon their course of study altogether.
Counseling services aim to protect their students by offering various resources, such as educational programs, crisis intervention services and campus community consultations. Furthermore, counseling services promote personal well-being among their students by offering brief mental health services.
Importantly, council ACE services tend to be located in economically vulnerable neighbourhoods. Here, they play an essential role in providing people with the skills they need to return or start working and advance in their careers, alleviating poverty and inequality while strengthening community cohesion and interaction between different groups within communities and helping break down stereotypes and create understanding for diversity.
OCTC’s Sense of Community
At OCTC, students and faculty share a commitment to lifelong learning. We provide access to education with flexible programs and career-specific training while fostering an inviting learning environment to empower adult learners on their journey toward furthering their studies.
OCTC understands the financial strain associated with higher education can be substantial, which is why they strive to maintain reasonable tuition rates and offer several financial aid options.
One example of our commitment is the Pathfinder Pantry, a student food bank for those in need. Students can meet there to share meals with their peers, fostering camaraderie and mutual support. In addition, OCTC hosts events where faculty can get acquainted; such activities have proven successful at creating a sense of community while increasing chances for success - Penni Conrad of SkillTrain's business operations specialist position being one such example of dedication! She won an OCTC Staff Award this year as proof.
Employer Reimbursement
Studies show that adult learning offers numerous individual advantages, including increased confidence and self-esteem, higher aspirations levels, a sense of purpose and community engagement. Furthermore, adult education also improves "soft skills" like teamwork, communication and collaboration.
Adults need external support in order to access and successfully participate in their education, whether this comes from family and friends, employers, or a network of community organisations and local services.
At ACE services, learners receive extra assistance and support, from digital literacy training to peer support groups and tutoring sessions. An example is Lewisham-based Quaggy Printmakers; their 20 members use screen printing and etchering services provided by ACE tutors to sell their works online.
External Support
Adult learners juggle multiple responsibilities such as being spouses, partners, parents and full-time workers in addition to studying. Their busy lifestyle often leaves little time or energy left for study success - which is why adult learners frequently seek support from fellow adult learners at ACE community venues.
ACE services are one of the few remaining public spaces that bring people from various backgrounds together with a common goal - education. Their literacy and numeracy programs, as well as English for Speakers of Other Languages courses (ESOL), play an invaluable role in building social cohesion and integration by encouraging participation within local communities.
This research supports the idea that self-direction is key to moving from current development into potential development, with authors suggesting higher learning institutions and curriculum designers include elements within their programs to encourage adult learners to form peer groups for learning - creating student-driven groups will pool expertise outside of lecture halls to further broaden learning experiences.
