THIS month marks 25 years of Adult Learners’ Week, a campaign which celebrates learning achievements and promotes hundreds of local outreach activities.

One learner whose life has been impacted by the developments in adult learning over the last two decades and more is Lucy Bryson from Usk.

Lucy suffered from a lot of problems in her home life which led to a disinterest in education and escapism through the use of drugs and alcohol.

By the age of 17 she was addicted to crack and heroin, finding herself in progressively more dangerous situations as she worked the streets to fund her addiction. Lucy ended up in prison, at her lowest point becoming suicidal.

It was while in prison however that Lucy began to see her life in relation to other inmates who had suffered from similar circumstances in life. Lucy wanted to help them but she understood that she needed to help herself first.

On her release she went to an organisation called Victory Outreach UK, an organisation that helps young people rebuild their lives. Here she became involved in an animal project.

“Once I completed the rehabilitation programme I was offered a staff position, which is when I decided to get back into education. This was the start of gaining various qualifications,” she said.

“I started by completing an NVQ 2 and 3 in Health and Social care alongside my training to become a support worker.”

Lucy, now 33, is a firm believer in encouraging as much training and education as possible in any given role.

“I think that in rehabilitation work in particular, your clients are always facing new and complicated challenges. It is so important to continue learning in order for my skills, knowledge, and therefore my ability to help, not to become outdated.”

In 2009, Lucy’s incredible journey was celebrated when she won a national award at the Inspire Adult Learning Awards, a ceremony recognising the outstanding effort and commitment made by individuals, businesses and communities to develop their learning and skills.

Lucy recently completed her level 5 in Health and Social Care management but is currently taking some time off as she has been caring for her husband during his ongoing cancer treatment.

“Adult learning has allowed me to make up for all the opportunities I didn’t even realise I was missing at school age,” she said. “It has made me more confident about my future. My past is not something I am proud of but now I realise I shouldn’t be ashamed of it because I have changed.

“My mistakes in life have resulted in me being able to act as an example to others, showing them that no matter what you go through, your life can change.”

The world, and Wales, has changed dramatically since 1992, when Adult Learners’ Week was first established.

In the early 1990s the UK was in the middle of a long recession, with record rates of unemployment and major changes in the labour market following the loss of jobs in manufacturing and heavy industry.

The 1990s also saw major technological advancement.

Cerys Furlong, Learning and Work Institute Director in Wales, said, “We need to ensure that there are sufficient opportunities for adults to access learning if we are to keep up with the ever rapid pace of technology and an ageing society over the next two decades.”

Former Chief Executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, (now Learning and Work Institute) Alan Tuckett, who set up the first Adult Learners’ Week, added, “In the summer of 1991 the Government had announced new plans for further education that would have cut all funding for adult education.

“Alongside petitions to save adult education, and a letter-writing campaign that engaged the full force of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, we decided to mount an event to celebrate existing learners in all their diversity and to encourage others to join in - and Adult Learners’ Week was born.”

Part of the Festival of Learning, the nation’s biggest celebration of lifelong learning, Adult Learners’ Week takes place from June 25 to July 1. If you want to retrain or expand your learning, find out more information about the opportunities available to you at the Skills Gateway at Careers Wales, careerswales.com/skillsgateway or call the free helpline 0800 028 4844.