Starting a new term in education is daunting at any age, but Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES) wants to let adults who’ve been out of education for some time now know that a warm welcome awaits them in the city’s adult education centres and that it’s never too late to start learning again.
Every year, thousands of students enrol in MAES courses in centres across the city to learn new and refined skills in Maths, English or IT and leave with hard-earned qualifications for themselves or for the betterment of their careers.
It’s no different for adult learner, Lubna Tahir. The 40-something-year-old is due to undergo the enrolment process for the government-funded MYRIAD Spark Training Programme course this September.
The new training programme is designed for keen learners just like Lubna, who are from Global Majority backgrounds and passionate about working creatively with others and using creativity as a powerful tool to enhance mental health and wellbeing.
After completing several different courses with MAES over the last eight years, the Harpurhey resident believes her new venture in art therapy was almost a “rite of passage”.
She said: “I help people to start to live life again through art. I do art therapies, everything related with art and how we can heal through art.
Lubna, who is from Lahore in Pakistan, is an Art Tutor at No. 93 Wellbeing Centre where she runs weekly drop-in art sessions and even led art classes online during the pandemic for Manchester Art Gallery. The creative said her passion for art begins close to home.
She said: “I take my main source of inspiration from my family; I’m from four generations of an artist family. My dad, my granddad…they were all teaching art. So, when I moved here, I started teaching art and I’ve done my master’s in art too, where I looked at practicing painting from my country. Teaching art is in my blood, and I’m a born artist so the only thing I know is art.”
The mother-of-two has lived in Manchester since 2016 and alongside her sought-after art classes, she also regularly volunteers at Manchester Art Gallery to keep herself engaged in the arts in the city she now calls home. As well as volunteering at the gallery, talented artist Lubna also currently has some of her work on show at the gallery as part of the exhibition, Trading Station: How Hot Drinks Shape Our Lives, which is on at the gallery until the end of January next year.
The opportunity to give back to Manchester’s art community came after Lubna decided to begin Talk English Classes in 2017 with MAES for adults who want to learn English or to sharpen their English language speaking skills.
Amongst the many practical learning activities on the course were regular visits to Manchester Art Gallery by her group of learners. After successfully completing her Talk English course, in 2018 she also enrolled on the ESOL Entry 3 course at the Longsight Adult Learning Centre.
After being introduced to Manchester Art Gallery through her Talk English course, it was her time spent there that proved to be the biggest source of inspiration for Lubna, along with the rich culture she brought with her from Pakistan.
She described it as “infusing everything” from modern, cultural British influences to create something new. Once her course is complete, Lubna hopes to use her newfound skills and confidence to be able to teach this fusion of art to her students.
She said: “Doing this art course is going to polish what I already know and help me navigate my way through teaching and learning art in my lessons through the MYRIAD Spark Training Programme. I will share this with my students and make my classes something they want to keep coming back to. The way I see it is I’m serving the community with art.”
Lubna’s lessons are a vibrant tapestry of art techniques and forms, ranging from painting and mosaic to abstract painting, still life, landscape, acrylic, oil and watercolour painting. She also delves into the art of designing, card-making, jewellery-making, collage, calligraphy and decoupage. These creative methods form the foundation of her teaching, and she is eager to expand her expertise in these art forms.
Lubna believes that her endless passion for the arts has been possible because of the support from her family both in Britain and Pakistan, despite her father now having passed away.
She said: “I’m the only person in my family along with my siblings, who are all artists. My friends are also artists. So, whenever I am stuck somewhere, I can ask them about anything and how to deal with it. I have many friends at the art gallery who deliver sessions and so we share ideas.”
Lubna, who is also this year’s Manchester City Council Be Proud Award Winner the Creativity in Neighbourhoods Award, encourages others to always keep their “urge to learn” as thousands of adult learners prepare to enrol on their courses this year.
She said: “In our lives on our journey, we must learn things and explore. Even though I am a born artist and have a strong background in art, there is still so much I have not yet learnt about my craft. I feel I need to learn more about different cultures that can influence my work and my teaching. For those starting their courses this September too, it’s never too late to learn.”
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure, and Chair of Manchester Adult Education Service Board, said: “I am very keen for everyone to always feel that learning is at their fingertips even for older students and that is why Manchester Adult Education Service is a key priority for us.
“Countless students have made the confidence step to learn new skills or improve in existing ones whether that be in Maths, English or new digital skills. Our aim is to offer support throughout the learning process even through writing CVs and perfecting interview techniques so our learners go on to flourish in their personal and professional endeavours.
“Enrolling on a course with the Manchester Adult Learning Service is the first step to a very bright future.”
Registration for courses beginning this Autumn is open from 4 September. Adults interested in signing up for courses can book themselves a registration appointment via the MAES website or simply drop into a MAES Centre where a MAES advisor will talk with them about the courses on offer and take them through the sign-up process.
To find out more about courses and enrolment and to book an appointment with an advisor please visit Manchester Adult Education