An Cosán Virtual Community College Holds Third Annual Community Partner Forum on May 29th 2019

On Wednesday 29th May 2019 An Cosán Virtual Community College (VCC) welcomed Bairbre Nic Aongusa, Assistant Secretary, Department of Rural and Community Development as keynote speaker at the third annual Community Partner Forum held in NDRC, Dublin 8. Supported by EPALE Ireland, which is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, the theme for this year’s event is ‘Empowering Communities using Technology for Education, Leadership and Enterprise’.

100 representatives from the community education, public policy, local development, Stage agencies and corporate sector came together to explore how technology is impacting the future of education, jobs, digital literacy, social enterprise and social inclusion at a grassroots level across Ireland.

Opening the event Catherine Breathnach, National Director of Adult Education An Cosán VCC speaking on behalf of Liz Waters CEO An Cosán, said “We are delighted to welcome such a diverse group of stakeholders from across Ireland as we gather together in collaboration to address some of the biggest challenges facing our society today”.

Calling for increased resources and funding to enable the community sector to embrace technological solutions to address the key challenges of digitisation, Liz Waters invited the key stakeholders, funders and policy makers to hear the challenges facing the sector by saying: “We must address the global digital challenges facing our society which are having a very real impact at grassroots and community level, as a matter of urgency. The digital divide is real. Only 48% of Irish citizens have basic digital skills, so we must act now”.

An Cosán VCC was established in 2014 with the mission of empowering individuals and communities to learn using the latest virtual, online and mobile technologies.
Keynote speaker at the Forum, Bairbre Nic Aongusa, Assistant Secretary, Department of Rural and Community Development, said:

“The Department of Rural and Community Development is committed to supporting vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland. The new public library strategy, Our Public Libraries 2022 – Inspiring, Connecting and Empowering Communities seeks to establish a modern, progressive library service that connects and supports communities. Last year, the Department provided a major investment of some €5.6 million towards enhancing the technological capacity across the library network through the installation of digital learning suites, ICT infrastructure upgrades and new software in public libraries across the country.”

Monica Donlon, MD, Accenture in Ireland added: “Accenture is delighted to work with An Cosán VCC who are blazing a trail in the provision of real and tangible solutions to address Ireland’s digital skills gap. The 2019 Community Partner Forum was a powerful example of what can happen when a cross-sector coalition come together to explore ways of closing the digital divide. Our ongoing collaboration with An Cosán VCC is making a difference to the lives of individuals and communities across Ireland and we look forward to continuing this work.”

On 29th May last, after weeks of preparation, our 3rd Annual Community Partner Forum took place in NDRC. We want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to everyone who contributed especially our event partners @EPALE_IE. @NDRC_hq who made it possible. #CommunityMatters pic.twitter.com/rb4qq8bcId

— An Cosán VCC (@AnCosan_VCC) June 4, 2019

During the event, An Cosán VCC showcased a prototype of a digital skills assessment tool which will help people understand their current digital competencies as well as reflect on and identify their perceptions about their digital skills and offer a pathway to achieving basic digital competency based on the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp).
An Cosán VCC have recently joined the Irish Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition and look forward to contributing at a national and European level.

Laura Austen-Gray, EPALE Coordinator for Ireland said: “We’re delighted to work with An Cosán VCC, on the Community Partner Forum as EPALE strives to bring adult educators together – both online and offline – to strengthen the adult education community”. EPALE provides an ePlatform for those working in adult learning.
Ben Hurley, CEO, NDRC who kindly hosted the event added “As an early stage investor in digital companies NDRC is keenly aware of the link between broader digital know-how and digital entrepreneurship in our wider society to bridge the digital divide. We are delighted to support An Cosán VCC’s efforts in this regard”.

The digital skills assessment tool will be tested and trialled over the summer months through An Cosán VCC’s Technology Enhanced Community Education Network (TECEN). Community organisations are invited to participate in this exciting and innovative solution to the digital divide.

To find out more information on this or other programmes contact:
An Cosán Virtual Community College (VCC)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01 534 1847
Website: www.ancosanvcc.ie

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About An Cosán VCC

Our mission is to empower through education – we do that by providing people of all ages with pathways to learning, leadership and enterprise. An Cosán offers a variety of programmes in early years education and care, parenting, community, further and higher education. Our Virtual Community College (VCC) also now shares our ethos beyond Jobstown to locations across the country as we build community partnerships with organisation’s who support learners locally by providing a Learning/Technology Hub and morale support. An Cosán VCC now have a presence in 22 counties across Ireland.

An Cosán have developed an innovative entry level model of higher education aimed at isolated and disadvantaged communities by offering a blended model of online learning, including live online classes, face-to-face workshops, mentoring, and online resources, all at a pace that suits the learner. Most of the learners who engage with the Virtual Community College (VCC) are taking their first steps into higher education, and for some it is their first step back to education at any level. VCC’s holistic, learner-centered model puts the learner at the heart of the project.

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