First trained ‘Literacy Champions’ in Tipperary
On the 27th of January last, an Awards Day was held in The Carraig Hotel in Carrick-On-Suir for participants of an innovative project called ‘Adult Literacy Awareness Training for Staff working with Individuals in Addiction and Addiction Recovery’. A total of 18 staff based in South Tipperary and Waterford received Certificates of Completion for taking part in the training programme.
Currently, nearly 1 in 6 adults in Ireland struggle with unmet literacy needs. This project aimed to train staff in literacy awareness, health literacy, literacy in addiction. It also looked at ways to use plain language to make their services literacy-friendly. The project gave staff the opportunity to learn how to become more literacy-friendly and how to use plain language when communicating with people. For example, when using written forms, posting on social media, using spoken language and when designing website content, organisational signage and leaflets for their service.
The project was innovative as it was the first time that certified ‘Literacy Awareness Training’ was offered collectively to staff working in various roles within local health, education and community services. Staff working with people in addiction and recovery in the Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service projects, namely Community Youth Projects, Community Drugs Initiatives and Family Support Services; as well as staff from the Clonmel Probation Service, Tipperary ETB Adult Education Services, Tipperary County Council, HSE Clonmel Substance Misuse Service and HSE Community Mental Health Service took part in the project.
Once the training was completed, all participants became ‘Literacy Champions’ for their organisations. Staff who participated are now the first group of trained ‘Literacy Champions’ in Tipperary.
Ultimately, the training programme was designed to help staff understand how literacy can have a huge impact on people using their services and how they can use their roles to implement the goals of the national ALL (Adult Literacy for Life) Strategy, in the community.
The ALL Strategy is Ireland’s 10-year national plan, launched by SOLAS in 2021, to help adults improve their reading, writing, maths, and digital skills so they can fully participate in society.
Staff who took part in the project had a choice of two groups of training, both of which were held over 1 day per week for the months of September 2025 and November 2025. The training took place online and in-person using the newly refurbished Tipperary ETB Further Education and Training Centre in Carrick-On-Suir
The training was facilitated by Ester Mackey, Regional Literacy Coordinator with Tipperary ETB and by Sean Driver, Plain English Editor and Trainer with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) Dublin.
The project was developed by staff from the lead organisation Waterford and South Tipperary Community Youth Service, Karen Scully (Programme Coordinator of the Making Connections South Tipperary Local Training Initiative, funded by Tipperary ETB) and Gail Sheridan (Community Drugs Worker with the Suir Valley Community Based Drugs Initiative); and staff from the HSE, John Leahy (HSE Drug Education Officer with the Clonmel Substance Misuse Service).
The project developers formed a partnership with the HSE, Tipperary ETB and the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) to roll out the project to staff in the local community. The project was funded under the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL Strategy) using the SOLAS Collaboration and Innovation Fund 2025. This fund is open to collaborative projects by public or non-profit organisations to improve adult literacy, numeracy and digital skills.
If you are struggling with reading, writing, numbers or using computers you can contact the following services.
National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) Telephone: 01 412 7900
Tipperary ETB Adult Literacy Services Telephone: 052 612 7543
