WEA North East Region

We provide part-time courses and projects in local community venues throughout the North East, from the Tees Valley to Berwick, to meet the needs of local people. We provide learning opportunities for those who have previously missed out on education and support people from diverse and deprived communities to acquire new skills and encourage them to take a more active role in their communities.

One of our aims is to generate creativity among adult learners as a way of building self-confidence and contributing to the North East’s cultural and intellectual vitality in arts, history, literature and languages.

How we work

Over 2,950 WEA members of the North East play a vital part in governance and course planning, helping us maintain a learner-centred approach that is responsive to local needs and contributes to high rates of success and retention.

A number of our programmes are delivered through our volunteer-run branches, while others are delivered in partnership projects to help adults overcome barriers to learning and give them the confidence they need to get back into learning. Much of our community work involves growing the total numbers of volunteers in the North East by strengthening active participation in communities.

We align innovative WEA provision with contemporary concerns such as tackling climate change, challenging racism and promoting good health through adult learning.

In partnership

Our projects are organised in partnership with local and national organisations, including local councils, authorities and charity organisations. We work closely in partnership with community organisations in neighbourhood settings, taking adult learning to people who have gained least from their previous education. We also develop learning opportunities in workplaces through trade unions and employers for staff with few qualifications and in low paid jobs.

We aim to extend our regional partnerships with universities, the voluntary sector, the Government Office for the North East, arts agencies, local authorities, the Co-operative Movement, trade unions and employers.

Who learns?

WEA learners in the North East are drawn predominantly from the Region’s disadvantaged post code areas, and many are without qualifications or lack qualifications at Level Two or beyond. A high percentage of learners declare health, physical or learning disabilities, and enrolment of ethnic minority learners is higher than the proportion of ethnic minorities in the region’s population.

We run an effective Skills for Life programme. The WEA pioneered methods of ‘embedding’ basic skills across the adult curriculum the North East and advises other providers on the appropriate methodology. Learners are drawn from community groups and workplaces, as well as from the British Army’s Northern Regional Education Centre at Catterick where soldiers often take the National Tests shortly before leaving for Afghanistan.

Statistics for the year 2010/11 show the reach of our provision and the diversity of our learners in the North East:

• 47% live in postcodes which indicate deprivation (as defined by the government)

• 40% did not have to pay fees for economic reasons (as defined by funders)

• 46% had qualifications below Level 2 when they joined their courses

• 33% had a declared physical disability

• 17% had a declared learning disability

• 5% were from a declared ethnic minority

Where we work:

The table below shows the spread of WEA courses and enrolments across the region in 2010/11.

Contacting WEA North East Region

Our WEA office for the North East is based in Newcastle.  You can view contact details here, and see a listing of local WEA branches here.  To find out about courses in these areas visit our online course search.