Surge in men seeking help for literacy

FOR the first time men are out-stripping the numbers of woman seeking help for basic reading and writing skills.

According to the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), inquiries rose by almost a quarter in the first six months of 2009 with the majority of queries coming from men.

Clare McNally, NALA spokesperson, said the driving factor among the increase in calls was the current economic climate.

“A lot of people have either recently lost their jobs or are fearful that they will.”

“It seems people particularly coming under pressure are those working in construction and manufacturing,” she said.

Ms McNally said that traditionally, the bulk of calls were from women, now more and more men were seeking assistance.

“More than 80% of callers feel their reading and writing is holding them back and that if they could improve their literacy it would help them in their work, go for promotion or further training,” she said.

“There has been a wow factor around people with high skill sets who have lost their jobs as a result of the recession but the highest number of those affected is still those with the lowest educational attainment.

“Those with higher education and training levels can adapt their skills for new and emerging work. This is rarely an option for the very low skilled, who with less opportunities are forced into state dependency. Now more than ever it is vital that people with low basic skills receive support as they face a greater risk of long-term unemployment,” she added.

NALA received 4,759 calls between January and June 2009, a 23% increase on the previous six-month period when 3,867 were recorded. Figures for July and August were more than double the amount on the same period last year.

Figures from Aontas, Irish National Association of Adult Education show that half of those seeking information about courses and entitlements have not been to school or college for 20 years, while 25% had undertaken any training or courses in the past decade.

Co-ordinator of the SIPTU basic english scheme Katherine Dowds said take-up for the courses was “unusually” high this year.

“Some of these people were employed 20 years ago with basic skills and when they didn’t even have to fill out a form,” she said.