Joyce Whitehead had a long association with adult literacy before taking on the role of literacy facilitator in 2008. Her interest began during her training as a secondary school teacher.

'On my postings I realized that a large number of children were being failed by our education system. Many children in the schools I went to had poor literacy skills and I started wondering about how they would cope after leaving school.'

In 1989 Joyce joined Adult Literacy (as it was then known) as a volunteer tutor. Since that time she has worked in various capacities in the field.

In 2008 she took on the position of Literacy Facilitator at Literacy Aotearoa.

Her job description includes:

• Assessing new students
• Matching students with tutors
• Sending out newsletters
• Arranging tutor professional development
• Acting as a mentor for new tutors
• Maintaining and ordering new resources
• Holding tutor appraisals
• Helping tutors find appropriate resources
• Assisting in photocopying (and whatever else needs doing)

Joyce loves her job.

'I enjoy working with people - both tutors and students - in a field I feel passionate about. The rewards are very tangible. As a tutor you see your students achieve goals and gain in confidence. As a facilitator you see the same thing happening for your tutors. It's great to work in a field that can make a difference in people's lives.

Joyce thinks it's important for literacy tuition to be available to as many people as possible, whether they are in paid work or not.

'The concept of volunteer tutoring is at the heart of Literacy Aotearoa and our job is to help adults who require better literacy skills to improve their lives. I think it's important that we help people who need it regardless of whether they are in work or unemployed.'