Welcome to VALBEC’s 2024 conference titled: Supportive practices in a transformative landscape. In the ever-changing landscape of education, transformative learning stands out as an imperative part of what we do as educators. Now, more than ever, it's crucial to refocus our efforts on students and practices that foster deep engagement and meaningful connections with communities and industry.

Keynote speaker: Professor Vicky Duckworth has developed a national and international reputation for research in Adult Education and Literacy. Vicky is deeply committed to challenging inequality through critical and emancipatory approaches to education, widening participation, inclusion, and community action. A key strand of work includes addressing the personal/public and intergeneration impact of trauma and violence on learners lives and their communities. Alongside Rob Smith, Vicky led the ground-breaking Transforming Lives project (Smith and Duckworth, 2022) which exposed the benefits of education throughout life.  Vicky was a member of the 2019 Lifelong Learning Commission and is a founder member of Right2Learn.

There are three focus areas for presentations: ‘Responsive Practices’, ‘Community Engagement’, and ‘Empowering Learners’. which promise to create an amazing array of presentations.

View the conference program.