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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Assertiveness and Learning to Say No

Being assertive means finding the right balance between passivity and aggression. In practical terms, it means knowing how to stand up for yourself and say no to people. This can be difficult, especially with loved ones. Assertiveness training helps you learn tools to address these situations in a way that makes you feel good. Assertiveness has many positive impacts on your emotional well-being, which makes it worthwhile to pursue. These can include lower stress levels and higher self-esteem. Confidence-building courses work on assertiveness to help you feel more sure of yourself.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 07/11/2024 -
Thu 07/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Newcastle Bangladeshi Association
246-248 Elswick Road
Newcastle
NE4 6SN
Tutor:
Maryam Knowles
Course code:
Q00019056
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £8.40

Learn Excel and managing finances

This Multiply course, offered online by WEA in Essex, is perfect for beginners without a Level 2 maths qualification who want to upskill in Excel and financial management. This course provides a foundation in using Excel for budgeting, creating basic formulas and financial tracking—key skills for today’s job market. You’ll learn basic Excel functions, financial calculations, and practical problem-solving tailored to real-world financial scenarios. With flexible online learning and support from an experienced tutor, this course helps you build confidence in handling finances, enhancing your employability and preparing you for work-ready roles.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 07/11/2024 -
Thu 07/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Chris George
Course code:
Q00019258
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Personal Development: Skincare and Makeup for Beginners

On this course for beginners you will look at simple skincare and makeup for women, focussing on natural ingredients and items you may have at home. By combining theory with practical skills, this course empowers individuals to make informed choices, promoting healthier skin and to gain the skills to apply makeup to a good level. There will be an enrolment session on 5th September at 10-2. Please bring photographic ID, proof of address and proof of benefits (if applicable). Learners cannot attend the first session of the course unless fully enrolled.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 07/11/2024 -
Fri 13/12/2024
Times:
12:30pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
12 sessions
Location:
Millan Centre (Bradford)
Victor Street
Bradford
BD9 4RA
Tutor:
Sheeba Khan
Course code:
Q00011581
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Personal Development: BSL Next Steps Developing Confidence to Sign

This is a fun and interactive course, ideal to follow on from the Beginners BSL. The intention of this course is to develop skills in BSL for community engagement, further learning and possibly employment in a school/work setting. The course will run for 14 guided learning hours and will be taught at St Mary’s Community Centre, Pontefract with the facilitation of Canvas as a virtual learning platform. Learners will be fully supported in achieving the learning outcomes for the course and the intention is that the course will help them to further develop their confidence in order for them to engage in signed conversations with their peers.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 07/11/2024 -
Thu 19/12/2024
Times:
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
St Marys Community Centre (PONTEFRACT)
The Circle
Chequerfield
PONTEFRACT
WF8 2AY
Tutor:
Caroline Cleghorn
Course code:
Q00012515
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

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

Fitness and Exercise: Yoga to support a healthy back

Yoga is a wonderful practice that supports our physical and mental well-being. This course will allow you to enjoy all the benefits of yoga whilst taking a deeper focus on yoga practices that help to keep your back healthy. Most people suffer from back ache or pain at some point in their lives. Practicing yoga is a good strategy to both prevent and manage back ache. You will learn practices that help to relieve tension and improve back strength and flexibility. Yoga is a non-competitive practice for everyone, you will be encouraged to move with care for your own body, adapting practices to meet your individual needs in a supportive learning environment.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 08/11/2024 -
Fri 13/12/2024
Times:
9:30am - 11:00am
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018222
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Healthy Living: Mindful Relaxation techniques to relieve physical tension

Would you like to improve your ability to relax to support your own well-being? This course will focus on supporting you to relieve physical tension in your body. Often, stress can cause physical tension in the body, with practice we can learn to ease this tension through relaxation. We will focus on improving body awareness to improve comfort and mindful movements to release tension. You will learn to ease tension through breath awareness and sound release. All sessions will end with a guided relaxation practice. Everyone can improve their ability to relax, why not give it a try?

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 08/11/2024 -
Fri 13/12/2024
Times:
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018248
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Would you like to learn techniques to relax and wind down? When we’re stressed or anxious it’s hard to feel calm. Anxiety affects over 8 million people in the UK at any time. But you don’t have to live with constant stress or anxiety. There are simple techniques you can learn to manage it. This stress management course is ideal if you want to learn habits to reduce stress and anxiety. It can help you lead a healthier and fuller life

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 08/11/2024 -
Fri 08/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Riverside Community Health Project (Newc
Carnegie Building
Atkinson Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 8XS
Tutor:
Julia Charlton
Course code:
Q00019029
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £8.40

Beginners British Sign Language (BSL)

If you have contact with deaf people in your day-to-day life, you may want to take a British Sign Language course. Knowing how to sign can make your communication more inclusive for everyone you interact with. This BSL course is suitable for you if you need to communicate with deaf people in a voluntary or community role, or simply through social interactions. This course is aimed at complete beginners. You will start from scratch to learn foundational BSL skills.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 08/11/2024 -
Fri 07/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Action Station
Boldon Lane
South Shields
NE34 0LZ
Tutor:
Joanne Liddle
Course code:
Q00018842
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Practical BSL for Use in Everyday Situations for Beginners

This exciting and innovative programme of online BSL courses will unlock and introduce you to British Sign Language for use in a variety of everyday situations. You will establish a clear and solid foundation of BSL vocabulary and conversational techniques that will unlock your ability to communicate and converse with other BSL users. Learning BSL is an enriching and rewarding opportunity to not only learn a new language but to foster an understanding of the Deaf community and the importance of access, inclusion and equality for all. Utilising a rich variety of online resources and interactive activities, this programme will equip you with the skills to confidently communicate with other BSL users and bridge the divide between the hearing and the Deaf. It comprises of 3 courses/workshops, that will take place on 11th, 18th and 25th November, with a total fee of £22.20

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 11/11/2024 -
Mon 25/11/2024
Location:
Online
Course code:
P00000081
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available

Multiply - Maths for Work

This Multiply Maths for Work course, is designed to help you build confidence in everyday math skills. You'll learn how to solve practical problems using basic math, like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. We'll cover topics such as working with percentages, fractions, and measurements, all with real-life examples. The course is perfect for those who want to improve their math for work, study, or daily tasks. By the end, you'll feel more prepared to tackle math in real-world situations. This course is suitable for beginners and anyone needing a refresher.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 11/11/2024 -
Mon 16/12/2024
Times:
12:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Marlene Clarke-Davis
Course code:
Q00019479
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free