Published just ahead of Adult Learners' Week (12-18 May), the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) released headline findings from their 2012 Participation Survey on Friday 11 May 2012 revealing that 3 in 5 adults (62%) have not participated in learning in the last 3 years and over one-third (36%) have not participated at all since they left full-time education.
Speaking to Tony Blackburn on BBC Radio Berkshire, Newbury College Principal Dr Anne Murdoch explained that "one of the difficulties for adults is a lack of time" and also attributed cost as an obstacle to many adults continuing in education.
As the largest provider of adult education in West Berkshire, Newbury College is helping adults to return to education with cost effective Bite Size courses in many popular subjects that offer new skills in short three-hour sessions.
Whist 3 in 5 adults are not participating at the present time, Dr Murdoch said that it is important to note that "2 in 5 adults are engaged in education with 115,000 over 60s currently enjoying being students".
Adult education is "a very good way to make new friends" and in the current economic climate, new skills are a valuable investment for career progression and opening new opportunities in business.
Business students received a visit from guest speaker Anthony Fleming on 17th April 2012.
Mr Fleming, from Thatcham based coaching mentoring company Passion 4Life, believes that it is "a pleasure to share experience with young minds. They have so much potential and in reality they could accomplish so much if they just believe in themselves."
On the 26th April 2012, Uniformed Public Services took part in a combined map reading and navigation exercise at Combe Gibbet.
The gibbet was erected in 1676 for the purpose of hanging the bodies of George Broomham and Dorothy Newman who were hanged for murdering George's wife Martha, and their son Robert after they discovered the truth of the couple's affair.
Placed in such a prominent location as a warning, to deter others from committing crimes, nowadays it is a popular local tourist attraction with good views of the surrounding area.
The weather was very windy and rainy on the day the students visited but the trip allowed the courses an opportunity to get out in the fresh air and put some of the theory learned in class and in the college ground to practice.
The group walked along the Combe Gibbet ridge for a few kilometres and were put to the test by orientating their maps to the ground and pointing out certain features on the ground using grid references.
X marks the spot at Newbury College as the Geocaching craze continues to sweep across the world.
The global game of high-tech hide and seek involves over 1.7 million caches, or "treasures", hidden at various locations all over the planet and are located using GPS devices or smartphones.
Caches are typically small waterproof containers that contain a logbook for adventurers to record their visit and swappable trinkets such as small toys and tags.
Newbury College Communications Officer Shaun Daubney said "The College site on Monks lane is a beautiful place to stroll, relax, refresh and remind yourself that life is about exploration and learning. Since moving to the Monks Lane site 10 years ago, we encourage local residents to come and visit us and see what Newbury College and our beautiful grounds have to offer . Getting involved with the Geocaching phenomenon is a great way for us to encourage even more people to get out in the fresh air and discover some of Berkshire's beautiful landscapes whilst learning new skills and engaging with the latest technology."
There are currently over 5 million geocachers worldwide, from families and scout groups to hikers and mountaineers. More information, including a brief introduction video can be found at www.geocaching.com