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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Cooking Practical: Introduction to Cookery

Cooking homemade food doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Learn how to feed the whole family with tasty and affordable meals in this cooking on a budget course. This is an introduction session to cooking simple foods that are both healthy, nutritious and cost effective. This course is ideal for you if you’d like to learn how to cook homemade meals on a reduced budget. Join our friendly tutor at the Keyham Green Places in Plymouth for a course aimed at all levels. All equipment is supplied.

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 25/09/2024 -
Wed 11/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Keyham Green Places (Plymouth)
163 Renown Street
Plymouth
PL2 2DT
Tutor:
Paul Keller
Course code:
Q00017369
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £126.00

Personal Development: Budgeting skills

Feeling overwhelmed by household finances? Tired of wondering where your money goes? This 4-week course will empower you to take control with basic budgeting skills. We'll unravel the mystery of household budgeting, making it manageable and clear. Explore smart supermarket schemes and discover if they truly benefit you or the stores.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 01/10/2024 -
Tue 22/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
KCU Ltd at Fuller Church (Kettering)
51 Gold Street
Kettering
NN16 8JB
Tutor:
Caroline Smy
Course code:
Q00016540
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.60

Schools, Parenting and Child Development: Introduction to ADHD

Would you like to find out more about ADHD? This course will help you learn about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. You will discover other conditions that are commonly experienced alongside ADHD. A big focus of the course is on how to support a child, young person or an adult with ADHD. You will gain an understanding of a range of different strategies and interventions which may be beneficial in a home, school or even work setting. You’ll also find out how assessments are carried out and how to apply for an EHCP to give a child that all important extra support in school.  

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 02/10/2024 -
Wed 30/10/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Paula Hellal
Course code:
Q00011461
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Fitness and Exercise: National Back Care Awareness Week: Yoga to support back-care management

Did you know that it is estimated that 80% of adults will suffer with back pain at some point in their lives. Back problems are one of the main causes of time off work. Back pain can last a few days, may come and go, or can become a chronic condition. Back care Awareness week aims to empower people with the knowledge and tools to both prevent back problems and to maintain a healthy back. Medical guidance encourages us to keep moving, stretch it out, and try to ease symptoms of stress to better manage back ache. Yoga is an excellent tool to support a healthy back and can be practiced by anyone. This mat-based session will introduce you to simple stretches and postures that

Course Information

Dates:
Wed 02/10/2024 -
Wed 02/10/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018227
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £7.40

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:
£15

Confidence to Learn

Would you like to learn new skills or change jobs? It can be hard to get back into learning after a long break. This confidence training will prepare you to feel comfortable stepping back into the classroom. This short course can help you bridge the gaps in your confidence and overcome the obstacles standing in your way to get back into learning. The objective of this course is to get you into a positive mindset to achieve your goals. You will practise a variety of confidence-building exercises to help that mindset shift come from within.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 11/11/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Wakerley Court (Leicester)
41
Halstead Street
Leicester
LE5 3RQ
Tutor:
Harsha Kotecha
Course code:
Q00017187
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £42.00

Cooking on a Budget

Cooking homemade food doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Learn how to feed the whole family with tasty and affordable meals in this cooking on a budget course. This is a cooking and personal finance course rolled into one. You’ll get practical budgeting tips you can apply in the kitchen. This course is ideal for you if you’d like to learn how to cook homemade meals on a reduced budget.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 11/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
The Centre, Newlyn (Penzance)
Chywoone Hill
Newlyn
Penzance
TR18 5AR
Tutor:
Tiffany Coates
Course code:
Q00017051
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £63.00

Schools, Parenting and Child Development: Help Your Child with English and Maths

As a parent or carer, you want the best for your children and you want to help them get the most out of their time at school. Join other parents like you, to discover more about what is taught in UK schools. During this course, you will learn how to support your child’s education in the UK. You will learn what you can do at home to help improve your child’s skills in maths and English. Find out more about how you can join the school community and meet other parents. You must live in the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire postcode areas to get this course free.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Thu 31/10/2024
Location:
Online
Course code:
Q00009454
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £44.40

The Secret Power of Yoga: Sutra

Discover the wonderful practice of yoga with this introduction to yoga philosophy course according to Patanjali’s five foundational philosophical concepts (YAMAS) in the traditional text, THE YOGA . Whether you are seasoned yogi or just initiating an interest, you will love this course. This is a friendly course providing a nourishing blend between physical practice and theory. The aim is to help you discover how the practice of yoga can deepen your spiritual practice and bring more awareness to your life while practising having the self confidence to express yourself. It is ideal for those who want to keep physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually fit. It will offer you guidelines, like helping hands, to move you deeper into your own authenticity and into a life that is richer and fuller, simply because you are living with more skill. This course is ideal for people who like to contemplate how to live more skilfully as individuals and as a community.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Tue 17/12/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
11 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00017035
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £81.40

Functional Skills Qualification in English (Entry 2)

Continue developing English skills to help you in work and everyday life situations. This functional skills English entry 2 course teaches you skills for reading, writing, and communicating in English. Learn how to improve your writing skills and build on the basic reading skills from entry 1. Adult English courses teach you practical communication skills to help you get a job or study. Develop your English skills through real-life situations. This course teaches you tools and resources to improve your use of English in new and familiar situations. These skills can help you succeed in your studies, professional situations, and social interactions. This is a government-funded accredited English course for adults. Functional Skills qualifications are free if you don't already have a GCSE in English or Maths at grades A*-C, or 4-9. We'll check your level and any previous qualifications before you start. This ensures you are on the correct course.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Fri 20/12/2024
Times:
9:30am - 12:00pm
Duration:
22 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Michelle Lee
Course code:
Q00018350
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Healthy Living; Lipreading and managing hearing loss

The act of looking is so closely bound up with the act of writing. Novels depend upon those moments when an author presses the pause button and allows their characters to just stop and look at something. This course will explore how photos, especially, can be used as a vital stimulus for creative writing. Over two days, you will explore the work of some of the world’s finest photographers, from Andre Kertesz to Garry Winogrand, all projected upon the screen. You will then be encouraged to look even closer and see where these images take your own writing. The course will also consider how established writers have engaged with the art of photography, from John Berger to Susan Sontag, Tony Harrison and Geoff Dyer. Most importantly, you will encourage you to find a way of using your own photos as a way of unlocking your own hidden powers of writing and observation. Come along and join our friendly lipreading group at The Centre in Newlyn. This class is suitable for all levels of lipreaders and is ideal for those recently experiencing hearing loss. Our experienced tutor will guide you through the basics of lipreading and show you how to practice your lipreading skills in everyday life. Research has shown that attending a lipreading class can give you greater: • Confidence to communicate with others • Control over your hearing loss, as you develop new communication skills • Independence, as you’re less reliant on others to help you follow conversation (Source RNID.org.uk) You will learn in a supportive environment alongside other learners who will be able to share their experiences of hearing loss and learn how to overcome them together

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 10/10/2024 -
Thu 21/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
The Centre, Newlyn (Penzance)
Chywoone Hill
Newlyn
Penzance
TR18 5AR
Tutor:
Janet Corbett Marston
Course code:
Q00016904
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40