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Welcome to National Association of VTOS Co-ordinators Chairperson |
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Welcome back to all colleagues
We are already deep into what will be a busy, challenging and undoubtedly an eventful year. For those of us who work in Adult & Further Education the debates about NAMA, tax increases and budget cuts are deeply and personally relevant as manifested in the pressures on students, on staff and on Centres.
We also are having to deal with changes to the childcare system which has placed us and many of our students under further pressure. The VTOS Executive is clearly and actively communicating the depth of these challenges to the various Government Departments.
The demand for VTOS places is evident throughout the country: Concrete proof of both the relevance and necessity of our service. The much discussed move to a smart economy may eventually happen.
VTOS can enhance and improve the confidence and skills level of adults who are acutely aware that the recession has left them unemployed and in need of further education, in order to compete in today's competitive society.
VTOS main challenge is to provide this much needed service to these people who are under sever financial pressure, some of whom are unsure of what the future will bring. Many of which continue to grieve for lost careers and lifestyles: a personal and professional challenge for us as VTOS Co-ordintors.
An American Writer on organisational management, Margaret Wheatly reminds us that Meaning is what motivates people. VTOS began in the last great recession. We are now more than ever relevant and necessary. The unique relationship between staff and students in VTOS Centres and between VTOS Co-ordinators nationwide can assist during these uncertain times. Wheatley clearly states: "Leadership through command and control is doomed to fail. No one can create sufficient stability and equilibrium for people to feel secure and safe. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships."
I urge you all to take time, to nurture yourselves, to remember to measure our work by the measures that we know are important and to remember that we are much more than just citizens of an economy.
Wishing you all the best for the year ahead. Please, attend meetings, contact neighbouring VTOS Co-ordinators, seek support.
Ni ndeart le cur go cheile
Joe Brennan |
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