50 adult learners, their tutors, families, and friends gathered yesterday, 26 March 2026 at an awards ceremony organised by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) in the Waterford Medieval Museum in Waterford.

The event celebrated the learning achievements of 50 adult learners from 12 counties who improved their literacy, numeracy or digital literacy skills using the Learn with NALA eLearning website.

The UNESCO award-winning Learn with NALA eLearning website has 44 free online courses for adults in subjects including reading, writing, maths, computers and communications.

At the event, learners received NALA certificates and national Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) certificates for their work on Learn with NALA.

In 2025, 1,191 learners achieved 3,216 QQI awards on Learn with NALA. 621 of these learners were working directly with NALA and 570 learners were based in one of 79 Learn with NALA registered centres across the country.

Additionally, 1,090 learners achieved 3,389 NALA certificates on Learn with NALA in 2025. 752 of these learners were working directly with NALA and 338 learners were based in one of 87 Learn with NALA registered centres across the country.

The guest speaker at the ceremony was Edel McSorley, Operations Director at Mr. Price Branded Bargains. Edel and her team have been described as “re-writing the employer’s handbook on inclusive hiring practices” and are proud winners of the Advancing Disability Equality (NDIA) 2023 and Advancing Social Inclusion (NDIA) 2024 awards.

Speaking at the ceremony, Edel had this inspirational message for attendees:

“This event celebrates the remarkable achievements of learners and highlights the lasting impact of adult and community education. It is inspiring to see how dedication and learning open doors to new opportunities and strengthen communities.”

Speaking at the event, Colleen Dube, NALA’s Chief Executive Officer said:

“I would like to congratulate all the learners on their achievements today. We know the huge commitment and effort that goes into getting to today.  I would also like to thank all the tutors and staff for their continued work and dedication in supporting learners to achieve their goals. I hope this only the start of your learning journey.  Days like today are great reminders of how many learners and centres are using Learn with NALA and the transformative power of education.”

Wayne O’ Keefe, a tutor working with the Waterford Youth Training and Education Centre (WYTEC) said: “I have found Learn with NALA’s Level 2 coursework to be a very valuable and accessible resource in the provision of literacy support for early school-leavers. It both consolidates and builds upon their pre-existing literacy skills and provides a firm basis from which they can progress in their learning.”

Inspiring learner Oksana Marusyk who moved to Ireland from Ukraine spoke at the event added: “NALA is a brilliant way to get new knowledge”.

Each year, NALA supports over 3,000 adults to improve their literacy skills over the phone and/or online.  NALA is one of Ireland’s largest providers of programmes leading to QQI awards with over 50,000 QQI minor awards at level 2 and 3 earned by learners since 2008. NALA also manages a national Freephone service that refers callers to Education and Training Boards and community education providers around Ireland.

For information on free courses nationwide call Freephone NALA at 1 800 20 20 65 or go to www.nala.ie

For information on Learn with NALA go to www.learnwithnala.ie