The list of sources for Dublin adult education beginning with Junior and Leaving Certificate courses for adults, is astonishingly long. It's best to check first with Jane McKeon , who's the information officer in AONTAS.
Then it's very useful to browse through one of the books published on the subject, like the Wolfhound Press Guide to Dublin Evening Classes, 1999/2000, which gives detail on who provides an astonishing array of classes. Oisin Publications does a similarly titled book, while there's yet another title, called the Definitive Guide to Night Classes, 1999/ 2000 supported by the Ireland on Sunday newspaper and FM 104.
Lifelong learning opportunities are well signposted in all local authority libraries in the region, while it's also worth getting in touch with your local Vocational Education Committee.
For higher education courses, the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) publishes a directory listing all the approved courses in higher education. Tel:(01) 855 6526.
If you're interested in a higher education course or an extramural course at one of the universities, then try the Dublin-based universities, UCD, TCD and DCU.
UCD's adult education centre tel/fax (01) 269 5542, will give you lots of ideas for study, including some on-line options. UCD's many courses include the Return to Learning course for people who want prior experience of what's involved in a degree course, particularly arts and humanities.
UCD also has a total of 10 Outreach centres, including Drogheda, Portmarnock and Tallaght.
Trinity College has afternoon, evening and weekend courses. Tel:(01) 608 1090/608 1329.
NUI Maynooth has its own centre for adult and community education, tel (01) 708 3757/708 3784. The Open University, too, has lots of interesting choices, tel. (01) 678 5399.
Then comes the National College of Ireland, tel: (01) 406 0500/ 406 0501, which is due to move from its present campus in Ranelagh to one in the second phase of the IFSC. It has lots of evening and part-time courses, including distance learning and online opportunities.
The Dublin Institute of Technology, tel:(01) 402 3333, has lots to offer and so too does the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, tel:(01) 214 4600.
Other sources for higher education include the IPA at (01) 668 6233.
FAS training centres and local employment services could also be worth trying, especially for more technical subjects.
In the Wolfhound book, courses aimed at adult learners who want to do computer courses make up the biggest section of the title.
Lots of community colleges like those in Dun Laoghaire and Lucan, and community schools, have much to offer.
All sorts of privately run colleges like Dorset College, Griffith College, Kilroy's College and LSB College, provide a wide range of courses.
Some organisations run courses, like the film education courses you can do with the Film Institute of Ireland at the Irish Film Centre.
Another huge area of interest is health-related, everything from healing to keeping fit. Often private colleges and organisations like the Irish Institute of Counselling and Hypnotherapy and the Irish Health Culture Association, can advise. Often, a professional organisation for a particular sector will have a very good handle on what's available in evening and other part-time courses, like Gael Linn, tel:(01) 676 7283, for anyone looking for courses on Irish language or culture.
In short, concludes Jane McKeon, the choice is simply amazing. While the whole area of guidance is organised in piecemeal fashion, a lot of the information is computerised, so large organisations will usually have everything listed on their database.
