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Your Local Adult Learning Network for Pathway Planning

We’re your first stop when it comes to planning and finding the right program for your goals.

Our mission – People in Hamilton will have a better quality of life through lifelong learning.

As a learning network, we don’t deliver any programs.  Instead, we help you navigate the various options out there.

Do you need to upgrade your skills to get a job? Or, do you have educational goals and you don’t know where to start?

We can discuss your options and help you develop a plan that is right for you!  There are free adult upgrading programs across the city.

Call us today! 905-527-2222

Or check out our Contact page for more options.

Join Our Board of Directors! – Applications Open Until April 30, 2025

Are you searching for a rewarding volunteer opportunity?

The ABEA is recruiting 1 Board Member for June 2025 – June 2026.

ABEA is the adult learning network in Hamilton.  We offer educational planning services to individuals and community partners.  We also facilitate local literacy service planning.  Visit our website for more details.

One of ABEA’s key strategic priorities is continuing to increase and diversify our revenue sources to create a larger impact in our community. This year we are specifically searching for someone that has experience making granting decisions (government, foundation, corporate, etc.). We want to better understand the funding/granting landscape and how decisions are made.  We’ll also welcome applicants with experience fundraising for nonprofit organizations via corporate, government and foundation grants.  If you don’t have experience in either of these areas but are interested in volunteering, we certainly welcome you to submit an application as well.

We are a governance board. The board meets monthly for 1.5 hours, September to June. The day of the meeting is determined by the elected board members at our Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is held at the Leaders in Literacy Event each June. This year, the event is Tuesday, June 10, 2025 (10:30 am – 1 pm) at the Waterfront Banquet & Conference Centre (555 Bay St. N., Hamilton). The AGM will be after the event.

If interested, please complete the application. Applications will be accepted until April 30, 2025.

For more information please contact Sara Gill, Executive Director.

sara.gill@abea.on.ca | 905-527-2222 x 1

Leaders in Literacy Event June 10th – Register Today!

The ABEA presents the annual Leaders in Literacy Awards at our annual Leaders in Literacy Event in June.  This year’s event will be Tuesday, June 10th (10:30-12:30).  Register

Help us celebrate outstanding learners, literacy practitioners and lifelong learners nominated for the Leaders in Literacy Awards.  Our Annual General Meeting will be held directly after the event. All were welcome to attend.

ABEA Receives Community Board Grant from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation®

Telus FoundationAdult Basic Education Association receives community board grant from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation ®, supporting educational pathway planning for youth.

Funding will help reduce barriers to education and employment for youth with learning challenges, disabilities and/or those facing multiple barriers.

Hamilton, Ontario, July 4 2024 – TELUS Friendly Future foundation has donated $19,400.  This will contribute towards the Adult Basic Education Association’s (ABEA) effort in reducing barriers to education and employment for youth with

  • learning challenges
  • learning disabilities
  • those facing multiple barriers to education and employment

“Everyone should have access to the learning supports they need to succeed, but this isn’t the case for many youths and adults in our community and beyond.  With the support from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, ABEA’s educational planning services and assessments have the potential to change the game for people and unlock their potential,” explains Sara Gill, Executive Director of ABEA.

The Adult Basic Education Association (ABEA) is a not-for-profit charitable organization and the adult learning network in Hamilton.  For over 40 years ABEA has been the central referring agency for adult education and upgrading in Hamilton.  With the support of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, ABEA will provide free educational planning and assessment services to 60 youths ages 18-29.

ABEA’s skills assessments are a way to identify an individual’s skill levels in reading, writing and math.  The Learning Challenges Assessment Tool (LCAT) is a unique assessment developed by ABEA.  This one-of-a-kind assessment identifies possible learning strengths and challenge areas related to language processing.  It offers a low-barrier alternative to formal assessment to explore possible learning challenges (that cannot be explained by medical problems or other factors).  While not a diagnostic tool, the LCAT can offer information and learning strategies that learners can apply to the classroom, workplace and/or community to reach their specific goals.  With this grant, ABEA will reduce barriers to education and employment to ensure that youth with learning challenges, disabilities and/or multiple barriers to education and employment have access to educational planning that can

  1. identify strengths and challenge areas
  2. provide strategies to support learning and success towards their goals
  3. increase access to education, training and employment

“Through our partnerships with charities supporting youth, we understand the challenges young people in these situations face,” said Nimtaz Kanji, Executive Director of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation.  “We are proud to be able to support the Adult Basic Education Association with a Community Board grant in order to help them break down barriers to education and employment for youth.”

For more information on the Adult Basic Education Association and their educational planning services, please visit www.abea.on.ca.  For more information on TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com.

For more information please contact

Leah Rondeau

Educational Pathway Planner

leah.rondeau@abea.on.ca

905-527-2222 x 3

Governement of Canada
Employment Ontario
Government of Ontario
This Employment Ontario program is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.