SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority of Ireland, was established on 27 October 2013 and its mission is to fund, co-ordinate and monitor a range of Further Education and Training (FET) provisions that is responsive to the needs of learners and employers. It is an agency of the recently formed Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. SOLAS works in close collaboration with Education and Training Boards (ETBs) across Ireland on provision of high-quality further education and training, equipping learners with relevant skills and knowledge, and providing a pipeline of talent into employment and to the Irish economy and society.

At SOLAS, we put the learner, employers and communities, which FET serves, at the heart of everything we do. Working with sister agencies, SOLAS leads actions in key policy and strategy documents including the most recent Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy 2020 – 2024, the evaluation of the National Youthreach Programmes (2019), the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the People Strategy 2020-2024 and others.

Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) is Ireland’s 10-year literacy, numeracy and digital literacy Strategy that aims to ensure that every adult has the necessary literacy, numeracy and digital literacy to fully engage in society and realise their potential; and support organisations and services to be literacy friendly and fully accessible to adults with unmet needs.

A National Programme Office for the Adult Literacy for Life Strategy has been established within SOLAS to operate as a central, coordinating office for the ALL Strategy across all departments and stakeholders. 

The Communications and Community Outreach Lead, The Numeracy Lead & The Workplace Literacy Lead will be integral roles in the National Programme Office.

The Adult Literacy for Life Strategy acknowledges that the support landscape for literacy is multifaceted, including not only statutory and community education providers, but supports and services delivered through NGOs, local authorities and local community-based organisations and networks.

•            Communications and Community Outreach Lead will have specific responsibility to establish strong links with the community and voluntary, local authority and community development sector. A complementary aspect of the role is to drive awareness and access through leading a cross-sectoral communications thematic network and working with the SOLAS Communications Team to support literacy campaigns.

•            Numeracy Lead will play a major role in the delivery of the ALL Strategy with specific responsibility for expanding numeracy provision in Ireland. Building numeracy skills is key for citizens’ well-being and active participation in modern society. The need for numeracy skills for everyone will inevitably increase as we progress towards a digital society and economy. Sometimes, however, numeracy needs are overlooked when considering wider literacy needs. The focus in the ALL strategy is that distinct numeracy supports are available and future provision is enhanced. Key to an effective numeracy response is a consistent and robust system of addressing numeracy needs.

·                Workplace Literacy Lead will play a major role in the delivery of the ALL Strategy with specific responsibility for developing workplace literacy provision and supports in Ireland. There are many adults in the workplace who have unmet needs and they are often the ‘hidden’ group within the workforce itself. There are around 260,000 adults in employment (aged 25 to 64) with no formal education. They hold down jobs but might avoid paperwork or when new systems are put in place, they can struggle with the literacy, numeracy and digital skills needed for that.