The first serious attempt by government to study the nature of adult education in Ireland came in 1973 with the publication of Adult Education in Ireland, often referred to as the Murphy Report.  In the Report, adult education was defined as "the provision and utilisation of facilities whereby those who are no longer participants in full-time school system may learn whatever they need to learn at any period of their lives".  The appointment of Adult Education Organisers (AEOs) to VECs in 1979 resulted from the publication of the Murphy Report which detailed twenty-two suggestions necessary for the development of the adult education system in Ireland. 

With limited budgets, the role of the AEO in the early stages comprised largely of working with community groups and running self-financing courses.  

Over the following thirty years, the implementation of government policies at national and European level resulted in additional adult education programmes being introduced by the Department of Education and Skills.   Responsibility for managing these new programmes, budgets, staffing, resourcing and development came within the remit of the AEO within each VEC in Ireland.

Contact details for each VEC Adult Education Officer
    

In Ireland today, the Irish education system and indeed the country as a whole, faces unprecedented socio-economic challenges and as a result, the management role of the Adult Education Officers has become more important than ever.  The distinctive role that AEOs play as facilitators of integration across adult learning opportunities, both within the VECs and externally, places them in a strategic position within the local and national adult learning landscapes. 

It is widely accepted that on-going learning and up-skilling on the part of every adult in Ireland is critical to national recovery.  

However, tackling this huge challenge is going to require radical reform of adult education and training structures, systems and work practices.  AEOs' knowledge and experience of facilitating integration in the design and delivery of quality adult learning is fundamental to the success of the forthcoming reform process. 

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