Ballymena man is Northern Ireland Essential Skills Learner of the Year for 2010.

Alastair McCormick clinched the award at the Essential Skills Awards ceremony which took place in Hillsborough Castle recently. In addition to being named overall winner, Alastair was also named ‘Essential Skills Trade Union Learner of the Year’.

Alastair, who works for Dale Farm in Ballymena, is the epitome of a reluctant learner who went on to realise the enjoyment and achievement that can be gained from returning to study. Initially hesitant, but with the encouragement of his wife and supported by Unite the Union, Alastair undertook and achieved an Essential Skills ICT Level 2 qualification at North West Regional College.

His new-found skills have enabled him to incorporate ITC into his working day, from planning work rotas to managing financial applications and he now embraces IT tasks which would once have appeared daunting. Furthermore, Alastair’s enthusiasm for learning is infectious. He has encouraged five colleagues to join Essential Skills classes.

Alastair’s social life has also been enriched through learning – for example, he now confidently book flights and holidays online. Explaining how his life has changed since achieving his qualification, Alastair said: “I have completed further in-house training in preparation for promotion which I would never have done before. There is a whole new world available to me.”

Praising the achievement of Alastair and that of all of the award winners, Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said: “The success stories of today’s winners serve as an inspiration to anyone wishing to improve their Essential Skills and are fitting recognition for their commitment to lifelong learning.”

The Minister said the benefits of improved Essential Skills gave the ability to get a job, improve career opportunities and to feel more confident in everyday life and noted: “Over 70,000 qualifications in literacy, numeracy and ICT have been achieved since the Strategy was launched in 2002.  In the current economic climate, where employers need a workforce that is literate, numerate and comfortable with ICT, the need for investment in Essential Skills has never been greater.”

The Minister continued: “Research shows that more people than ever want to improve their Essential Skills, particularly maths and ICT, and that younger people and those in part-time work with some qualifications already, have the greatest desire to improve.  This bodes well for the future of our economy, as better skills levels will underpin the economic recovery and help provide a better standard of living for everyone.”
 
Speaking at the event was Alan Shannon, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning.  He said: “The Essential Skills Awards are a fantastic way of acknowledging the enormous commitment to learning by adults of all ages and from all backgrounds.  We have always known the benefits of Essential Skills learning for increasing an individual’s job prospects or personal development but we can now include the opportunity to progress to third level education thanks to the recognition of the qualifications by both Queen’s and University of Ulster.”

This is the third year of the Essential Skills Awards, which are designed to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievement in literacy, numeracy and ICT learning.  In addition to the six regional award winners and seventeen Highly Commended entries, an ICT award, a Trade Union award and an overall Learner of the Year award were presented.  An Essential Skills Champion, in recognition of the outstanding contribution by an individual to the Essential Skills agenda, was announced and a new award category for Essential Skills Quality of Provision was also added to this year’s ceremony.