Ana Good came to Literacy Aotearoa with twenty years experience in the field of adult literacy. As well as bringing up three boys she has been a teacher in both primary and secondary schools. She has also worked as a librarian and taught ESOL in Singapore when her family was young.

Ana has been involved with various adult literacy organizations in Dunedin. She was employed by Literacy Aotearoa in 1999 and took up her current role as literacy co-ordinator in 2005.

With the growing trend towards work-based literacy the focus of Ana'a work has changed.

'The financial side has become more important over the past few years and we are now growing as a business, which is very exciting.

Along with managing tutors, Ana's job involves applying for funding, liasing with other agencies and employers and overseeing marketing and publicity.

'Literacy Aotearoa has two sides, a 'community' side and a 'fee for service' side. The 'community' side provides tuition from volunteers to anyone who seeks it. The 'fee for service' side provides tuition that is paid for by the employer or a government agency. Both sides provide tuition from fully trained tutors at no cost to the learner.'

The past few years have seen significant growth in work-based literacy.

'That's great for organizations like ours, because Literacy Aotearoa is recognized as a quality provider we are able to charge employers for our services.'

Income from the 'fee for service' benefits the organization as a whole. It provides income for tutors for their work and also supports and funds community literacy by paying for resources and tutor training.

Ana sees the recent growth in work-based literacy as heartening.

'It's encouraging to work with employers who appreciate the value of literacy and are willing to pay for a more literate workforce. It's empowering for everyone involved.'

As the importance of adult literacy becomes more accepted within the general community, well-trained tutors find there is a demand for their skills. This trend allows for a greater degree of professionalism among tutors.

'There is now an organized qualification and a pathway for tutors. The training is more formally organized and professional.'

Tutors come to Literacy Aotearoa from all walks of life and the Dunedin Poupou attracts people from different backgrounds.

'We have a diverse lot of tutors with wide ranging talents and it's rewarding to be able to harness their skills and put them to good use. It's an exciting, vibrant place to work, with much scope for creativity.'

Ana enjoys training tutors and mentoring them. She also loves the challenge of applying for funding and thinking up ideas for new courses.

'Seeing people learn and move forward is what adult literacy is all about, and I feel very optimistic about the future. After all, everyone benefits from a more literate society.'