Learning to leave doubts behind

FOR some people life doesn’t go according to plan.
They drop out of school early; disengaged with learning they miss out on basic literacy and mathematics skills that provide a stepping stone to further career opportunities.
Life moves on, they discard it as irrelevant, when family and work life get in the way. “It isn’t until much later, when someone gets a promotion or their child wants help with a maths problem, that an adult will think about the idea of improving their literacy and mathematic skills,” Healesville Living and Learning Centre’s education and training manager Darren Grainger said.
Mr Grainger said that is when it became scary.
“Feelings of self doubt creep in. They couldn’t do it at school, so why is it different this time? I’m just stupid or it’s too late for me?” he said.
“My comment to those people is … you’re not! You never were. It’s never a lost cause, or ever too late, because the rewards are worth it.
“It won’t be the same. You’re an individual. Your way of learning is different,” he said.
“We get that at Healesville Living and Learning Centre. Those are the principles of adult learning.”
Mr Grainger said that was when the centre could change people’s lives for the better by infusing their self-esteem with confidence and self worth to the point when a student could see future possibilities.
“That student can now write an impressive job application or fill in forms to apply for entry into a training course. They can also solve that maths problem hounding their child,” he said.
Mr Grainger said funding was available for subsidised training places in literacy and mathematics programs.
He said government and business knew that a person’s career advancement happened by building strong foundations.
“That is why we continue to provide adult literacy and mathematics classes at our centre,” he said.
“We’ve seen it with our own eyes. People leave our courses with brighter futures, not just to improve their skills but also their pay packet.”
Phone Mr Grainger at on 5962 5982 and make an appointment for a confidential conversation about learning options at Healesville Living and Learning Centre.