Courses to build life skills

Learn life skills with the largest charitable provider of adult education in England and Scotland. Adult learning isn’t like school. Everyone belongs at the WEA. You’ll get meaningful, and tailored support, so you can reach your full potential. Our classes are friendly and fun, designed for adults like you. We won’t talk down to you and you’ll learn skills that you’ll use in everyday life.

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What are life skills?

Simply put, they are skills that make everyday life easier. Life skills include cooking, budgeting, communicating with others, health, well-being and managing emotions. Sometimes this means learning new things, and sometimes it means building on things you already know.

Sometimes adulting can be hard. These courses can help make it feel just that bit easier, make you feel more independent and empower you to face the future ahead.

Small steps to larger goals

You don’t have to have big goals in mind. Just take small steps towards boosting your skills and improving your wellbeing. Whether it is learning to budget better or cook healthier food. Building your confidence or gaining independence. There is a course for you.

When you study with us, you will:

  • Build your confidence
  • Learn new life skills
  • Improve your everyday life and wellbeing

Take a look at our great range of courses and start making a positive change today.

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Budget Planning and Saving on Bills

Effective budget planning can make you feel like you’ve had a pay rise. Organising your personal budget and understanding your outgoings is the first step towards healthy financial well-being. And the good news is - budgeting is a skill anyone can learn. This budgeting course is right for you if you want to improve your financial well-being. Whether you’re trying to cope with the cost of living crisis or just want to plan your finances better, this course can help you. You do not need advanced maths skills to take this course. It is appropriate for complete beginners, so don’t worry if this is new to you.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 21/05/2024 -
Tue 09/07/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Bram Longstaffe School (Barrow-in-Furnes
Farm Street
Barrow-in-Furness
LA14 2RX
Tutor:
Christine I'Anson
Course code:
Q00015042
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Communicating Confidently

Would you like to feel more confident in conversations, meetings, or speaking in public? If you struggle to find your voice or get your point across, this communication skills course can help you feel more comfortable in conversation. Improving your communication skills can go a long way towards boosting your confidence in these situations. Learn effective tools and techniques to improve your communication skills. Whether you want to feel more comfortable meeting new people, holding union meetings or participating in community discussions, these confidence-building exercises can help you.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 21/05/2024 -
Tue 21/05/2024
Times:
12:30pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Health Resource Centre (Newcastle upon T
Adelaide Terrace
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 8BE
Tutor:
Maryam Knowles
Course code:
Q00015221
How you'll learn:
In venue
Status:
Waiting list (Join waiting list)
Fee range
Free to £10.50

Holistic Therapy: Indian head massage

Welcome to your FREE 6-week course all about Indian head massage. Where you will learn about the history, origin, and principles behind Indian head massage. We will explore the benefits to Indian Head massage, the techniques and precautions that are taken when performing the treatment. This course is for beginners who have never tried the treatment before. But if you do have a little experience, please do enrol as with all beauty & holistic treatments the learning is endless. You will be mainly taught through practical activities where you will observe the tutors’ demonstrations and practice the techniques on each other. Theory will consist of handouts or note taking, whichever suits you.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 21/05/2024 -
Tue 02/07/2024
Times:
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Bullion Hall (Chester le Street)
South Approach
Bullion Lane
Chester le Street
DH2 2DW
Tutor:
Tracey Carver
Course code:
Q00015392
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Food Hygiene

If you help out in a community or voluntary role, you may need to work with food. Understanding the safe handling of food is key to preventing infections and ensuring proper hygiene. Food safety courses are useful if you do any kind of charity or voluntary work that involves handling food. Whether you help prepare lunches at a community centre or collaborate with a food bank, this knowledge can help you ensure hygiene measures are followed.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/05/2024 -
Wed 22/05/2024
Times:
3:30pm - 5:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Cornforth Partnership (Ferryhill)
68-70 High Street
West Cornforth
Ferryhill
DL17 9HS
Tutor:
Jayne Clark
Course code:
Q00015024
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £8.40

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
WEA Membership

Makaton

Ever heard of Makaton? It's a unique language programme, and over 100,000 people are using it to communicate in the UK today. It combines symbols, signs, and speech to make conversation easier for people who have communication difficulties. This Makaton course is ideal for you if you want to learn an inclusive communication tool. It can help you interact with people who have speech, hearing, or learning difficulties. This Makaton sign language course covers the essentials of hand signals, fingerspelling, and signing. Learn to introduce yourself. Develop knowledge to be able to sign about basic topics such as numbers and colours.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/05/2024 -
Wed 19/06/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Trimdon Grange Community Centre (Trimdon
Kielder Drive
Trimdon Grange
Trimdon Station
TS29 6PB
Tutor:
Maria Hambley
Course code:
Q00015202
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.60

Personal Development: Personal Money Management

Don't let numbers limit your potential. Gain Confidence, boost opportunities and excel in everyday work & life through our course. In this course, we tackle the common problem of increasing debt caused by the rising cost of living. We'll explore everyday expenses like energy bills, TV, phone, broadband, food, and transportation. The focus is on giving you practical skills and knowledge in numbers to help you manage your money better. You'll learn strategies to be proactive in handling your finances, easing the impact of growing living costs. Enrol on our course to gain useful insights and tools for better financial management

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 22/05/2024 -
Wed 22/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 2:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Hillside Farm (St Petrocs)
Hillside Farm
Roche
Roche
South West
PL26 8HF
Tutor:
Julian Roberts
Course code:
Q00015508
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £16.80

Personal Development: Hearing World Vs Deaf World

Did you know that approximately 1 in 6 people in the UK suffer from hearing loss to some extent? Join us in this important and exciting learning journey designed to develop an understanding of the barriers deaf people face. This online course will be taught by an experienced Pre-Level 6 British Sign Language tutor with the intention for learning for education and learning that engages and builds communities. The course will compare differences for people born into the deaf and hearing world and will give a deeper insight into deaf culture and the challenges they face in everyday living.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 23/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Caroline Cleghorn
Course code:
Q00014697
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Numeracy for work

This course is specifically designed for individuals who are looking to build foundational mathematical skills with a focus on practical applications in the context of employment. Whether it's looking at vacancies, start and end times, and general information around workplace vocabulary involving numeracy. This course will help you navigate your way around numeracy for work and teach you how to calculate and understand vacancies and jobs better. It will also introduce you to a plethora of jobs and professions and roles performed in some jobs. You will listen to people talk about what they like in their jobs and what they dislike about their jobs. You will therefore be able to write and describe actions in the present and future tenses.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 23/05/2024 -
Thu 06/06/2024
Times:
9:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
2 sessions
Location:
Clovelly Centre (Southampton)
60-68 Clovelly Road
Southampton
SO14 0AU
Tutor:
Zaynab Al Hakeem
Course code:
Q00015545
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Personal Development: Planning a move to a new home

Whether you're moving across the country or to the neighbouring town, preparing for a move can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming. Between packing boxes, decluttering, finding reliable movers and possibly getting your current property clean there seems to be an endless number of details to think about. That's why we've created this short course to help you stay organized, know what needs to be taken care of and to keep everything on track so that your move is as stress-free a process as possible! Our friendly tutor will explain how to: Understand the main costs involved in running a home Know how to compare fuel prices to get the best deal Understand the costs involved in furnishing a new home Know how to communicate a change of address Know how to organise transport of possessions to a new home

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 23/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
10:00am - 2:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Hillside Farm (St Petrocs)
Hillside Farm
Roche
Roche
South West
PL26 8HF
Tutor:
Julian Roberts
Course code:
Q00015550
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £16.80

Craft: Decorate your cupcakes

Learn new skills and crafts! Cupcake decoration -The purpose of this course is to develop a new skill of Sugar Craft and learn how to make Sugar Flowers and other decorations. A range of edible sugar decorations ready to decorate your cakes, cupcakes and cake pops.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 23/05/2024 -
Thu 23/05/2024
Times:
11:30am - 1:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Reading Community Learning Centre (Readi
94 London Street
Reading
RG1 4SJ
Tutor:
Kauser Nabeel
Course code:
Q00015400
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £12.60