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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Personal Development: Digital Skills for Parents: Keeping your Family Digitally Safe

Explore essential skills for managing your family’s digital safety, personal finances, and family wellbeing. This course empowers participants to protect their families online, manage finances digitally, and leverage technology for overall family wellness. The internet is vast and fast moving and often our children are more tech savy, this course will cover how you can manage what your children can access in order to increase their safety. The course will also cover a range of digital tools that can help you keep track of your personal budget at the click of a button as well as exploring what applications and sites can have a positive influence on family wellbeing.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 09/01/2025 -
Thu 30/01/2025
Times:
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Trevor Parsons
Course code:
Q00017965
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60

Personal Development: Understanding your finances

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 This course is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 10/01/2025 -
Fri 07/02/2025
Times:
11:45am - 1:45pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Saima Gulzar
Course code:
Q00015664
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Personal Development: From ''Skint'' to Savvy: Improving Your Relationship with Money

Transform your financial habits with "From Skint to Savvy: Improving Your Relationship with Money." This course helps you understand money management basics, develop budgeting skills, and make smarter financial decisions. 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.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 10/01/2025 -
Fri 28/02/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Clare House (SCUNTHORPE)
31 Wells Street
SCUNTHORPE
DN15 6HL
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018116
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Fitness and Exercise: Yoga to improve joint mobility and strength

Enhance your well-being with our Yoga to Improve Joint Mobility and Strength course. This class focuses on yoga practices specifically designed to increase joint flexibility and build muscle strength. Through a blend of mindful movements, stretching, and strength-building postures, you will learn techniques to support and protect your joints. Suitable for all levels, this course encourages you to listen to your body and adapt practices to meet your individual needs. Enjoy a supportive environment where you can develop greater joint mobility and strength, ultimately improving your overall physical health and quality of life.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 10/01/2025 -
Fri 14/02/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:00am
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018230
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

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:
£15

Healthy Living: Mindful Relaxation practice to support pain management

Would you like to manage pain more effectively and enhance your overall well-being? This course focuses on mindful relaxation techniques to support pain management. Chronic pain can significantly impact your quality of life, but through mindful practices, you can learn to ease discomfort and develop a more positive relationship with your body. We will focus on body awareness, breathwork, and gentle movements to reduce pain. Each session will conclude with a guided relaxation practice designed to support pain relief. Everyone can benefit from learning these techniques to manage pain naturally.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 10/01/2025 -
Fri 14/02/2025
Times:
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018256
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

Healthy Living: Mindfulness and well being

Enhance your well-being through mindfulness practices with our Mindfulness and Wellbeing course. Learn techniques for stress reduction, relaxation, and improved mental health. Ideal for individuals seeking to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 10/01/2025 -
Fri 07/02/2025
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Veronica Hyde
Course code:
Q00018587
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.40

Intermediate British Sign Language (BSL)

Knowing how to sign can make your communication more inclusive for everyone you interact with. Build on your skills in British Sign Language to be able to have deeper interactions with deaf people. This BSL course is suitable for you if you need to communicate with deaf people or people with hearing impairments. It can help you in a variety of contexts, for example in a voluntary or community role, or simply through social interactions. This course is aimed at intermediate learners. You will build on your existing BSL skills. If you would like to start from scratch, you can take the beginner’s BSL course.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Mon 24/03/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Helen Watson
Course code:
Q00012273
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

Regaining Confidence and Self-Esteem

Do you ever feel unsure of yourself? Perhaps around new people or at job interviews? If so, this self-esteem course can help you build tools to face these situations with confidence. Low self-esteem can hold you back in all areas of life. Whether you’d like to build confidence to step back into education, meet new people, or change jobs, confidence-building courses can teach you essential tools to change your mindset. Learn how to build self-esteem and overcome obstacles that are holding you back. The first step in your journey is believing you can successfully complete this course! Confidence training teaches you how to ask yourself important questions and understand why your self-esteem is low. This is the first step towards changing your inner speech and boosting confidence. Learn techniques to motivate yourself and be more assertive.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Thu 16/01/2025
Times:
10:00am - 2:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Seetec Pluss Poole
Poole
BH12 1ED
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017001
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £67.20

Trade Union Education: Gaslighting – The Workplace

Do you know what ‘gaslighting’ is? Most people have heard of the term, but many do not understand what it really means. This workshop will delve into the issue of gaslighting in the context of the workplace. We will explore what the word actually means (its use and misuse), how to recognise the signs, and what can be done about it.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 13/01/2025 -
Mon 13/01/2025
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Matthew Pointon
Course code:
Q00018669
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

Managing Stress

Do you find it difficult to wind down? When we’re stressed it’s hard to feel calm and relaxed. But you don’t have to live with constant stress. There are simple techniques you can learn to manage it. This stress awareness course is helpful for anyone who wants to learn to alleviate stress. In this course we will learn how to identify stress risk factors, recognise the symptoms of stress, and apply techniques to reduce it. Depending on your needs, there are various study options after this course.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 14/01/2025 -
Wed 05/02/2025
Location:
Online
Course code:
Q00016703
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free