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 on a Budget: Learning for life

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.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 14/07/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Bilton Hall Community Trust CIO (Jarrow)
Taunton Avenue
Jarrow
NE32 3RT
Tutor:
Anila Maqbool
Course code:
Q00021868
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Fresh Family Food

Mealtimes are a great way to bring the family together. They’re also the perfect opportunity to build healthy habits as a family and teach future generations to make nutritious food choices. Learn to prepare tasty wholesome meals for all the family in this healthy cooking course. This course will teach you how to incorporate healthy options into your cooking plan. Get ideas for cooking fresh food and explore new ways to prepare vegetables and salads. Learn how to understand nutritional information so that you can make better choices when shopping.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 14/07/2025
Times:
9:45am - 11:45am
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Westgate Hill Primary School (Newcastle
Beaconsfield Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 5JN
Tutor:
Nadia Belmajdoub
Course code:
Q00021857
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

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.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 14/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
WHIST (South Shields)
Salus House
33 Mile end Road
South Shields
NE33 1TA
Tutor:
Joanne Liddle
Course code:
Q00021939
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Fitness and Exercise: Pilates for Wellbeing

This course introduces participants to Pilates, a low-impact exercise method designed to improve flexibility, strength, posture, and overall well-being. Through controlled movements and focused breathing, participants will develop core stability, reduce tension, and enhance both physical and mental relaxation. Suitable for beginners and those looking to improve their mobility, this course offers a gentle yet effective approach to movement for stress relief and improved body awareness.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 21/07/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Delves Lane Community association (Conse
Village Hall
Delves Lane
Consett
DH8 7BH
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00021944
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Care 2 aromatherapy

This course is for Carers, Former Carers and the Cared for. For absolute beginners right through to those who have a little experience in the fascinating subject of floral aromatherapy. This course will inform you of a wide range of floral oils, where they grow, what they are good for and a little history of each oil. Comprehensive notes will be provided on Canvas for you to download and refer to. This course encourages individuals to share and discuss your aromatherapy journey. The aim is for you to incorporate oils into your everyday life. You may have your own oils that you can bring to the session, you may want to purchase the range of oils prior to the course but this is not mandatory.
Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 28/04/2025
Location:
Online
Course code:
Q00021490
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
4.55

Healthy Lifestyles: Creative Journaling

This course will give you the opportunity to explore inner thoughts and emotions through creative journalling. Journalling can help you to focus your intentions, ease anxiety and identify the things you would like to change with purpose. Sometimes in life we can feel overwhelmed, and this can contribute to a lack of motivation. This is known as a mental block. Journaling has been proven to help individuals improve their mental health and work through difficult times. By sharing your Journal with the group, you will not be left alone to struggle with your thoughts and feelings in isolation.
Dates:
Tue 29/04/2025 -
Tue 17/06/2025
Times:
1:00pm - 5:00pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
NST Hub (North Somerset Training Communi
31 Alexandra Parade
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 1QZ
Tutor:
Katie Dexter
Course code:
Q00017190
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £147.00

Care 2 Auricular Therapy

This course is for Carers, Former Carers and the Cared for. This course is delivered in a relaxed and informative way, where we look at the intriguing science of auricular therapy. Designed equip you the knowledge of how you can work on the acupressure points on your ears to alleviate pain, stress and enhance your life and wellbeing. In a similar way that reflexology is a mirror of the body on the hands and feet, auricular therapy is simply the body mapped on the ear. We will cover how to apply this modality and the theoretical application of how to massage your ears and the correlating areas. Auriculotherapy has shown to have positive effects while associated to conventional treatments of insomnia, chronic and acute pain.
Dates:
Tue 29/04/2025 -
Tue 29/04/2025
Times:
9:00am - 10:30am
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Georgia Daniel
Course code:
Q00021696
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
Free

Communicating with Confidence

This micro course is designed for learners who want to improve their communication skills and build confidence in expressing themselves. On this short course you will explore techniques for clear and effective communication in different situations, including conversations, group discussions, and presentations. The course covers essential skills such as active listening, body language, and managing nerves when speaking. Through practical exercises and supportive feedback, you will gain the confidence to communicate assertively and positively in personal, professional, and community settings. This course is ideal for anyone looking to enhance their self-expression and build stronger connections with others.
Dates:
Wed 30/04/2025 -
Wed 30/04/2025
Times:
10:30am - 1:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Janet Wilson
Course code:
Q00021693
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee:
£11.10

Healthy Living: Yoga

Begin your yoga journey with our Healthy Living: Yoga course. Learn the foundational principles of yoga, including breathwork, meditation, and basic poses. Ideal for individuals new to yoga or those looking to refresh their practice.
Dates:
Wed 30/04/2025 -
Wed 25/06/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Shekinah Endeavour House (Torquay)
Endeavour House, 228 Union Str
Torquay
TQ2 5QS
Tutor:
Ione Harris
Course code:
Q00017083
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £52.50

Professional Development: Start Selling Online to Fund Your Summer Adventures

Learn how to sell online - whether it's your handmade products or making space in your wardrobe
Dates:
Wed 30/04/2025 -
Wed 21/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Karen Duncan
Course code:
Q00021578
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £29.60