Lifelong Learning Festival

The Lifelong Learning Festival is held annually in early April in a wide range of venues throughout Cork city. It is organised by the Cork City Learning Forum, Chaired by the CEO of City of Cork VEC, and operates under the auspices of the Cork City Development Board.

Lifelong Learning includes all kinds of learning – literacy and numeracy, professional qualifications, sports, crafts, languages, the arts and a whole lot more. It lasts throughout our lives, long after we leave school and, as well as giving us new knowledge and skills, can help find us employment, give us extra qualifications or generally make life more fulfilling.

A Co-Ordinator, supported by City of Cork VEC, works with an organising Committee drawn from the range of participating agencies to develop, grow and promote the Lifelong Learning Festival. The role includes liaising with organisations and groups participating in the festival, instigating new areas for action and assisting groups in their preparation for hosting events during the Festival week.

The Co-Ordinator encourages participation in the festival, by meeting organisations and individuals offering all kinds of learning opportunities in Cork. The Co-Ordinator meets them to discuss their involvement and to offer advice and help if needed. Among these are the community education networks, schools, third level colleges, further education colleges and centres and training organisations including those offering learning opportunities to the disabled. The Co-Ordinator also liaises with the current festival sponsors and seeks out new sources of funding, publicises the festival and liaises with the media. The Forum develops new ways of presenting learning out in the community including in shopping centres, always looking for new participants in the programme. It also encourages joint activities bringing groups together and securing high profile guest speakers and national events.