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.

Skip to courses

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.

Please enter your postcode

In order for us to give you accurate results for your courses, please click on the Search options and enter your postcode and the mile radius for your search.

Refine search

How you'll learn

Your location

Please enter your postcode or town for your search in the boxes below.

We have defaulted the search to ten miles, but you can change this number in the box as you wish.

Sort by start date

Choose to sort the course start date in ascending order (furthest away dates first) or descending (most recent dates first)

Results per page

Days

Other Filters

Part of day
Level of study
Availability
Search for the branch name/location, without adding branch e.g. Barnet

Healthy Living; Lipreading and managing hearing loss

Learn essential skills for managing hearing loss with our Healthy Living: Lipreading and Managing Hearing Loss course. Develop your lipreading abilities and gain strategies for effective communication. Ideal for individuals with hearing loss and their loved ones.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 24/04/2025 -
Thu 05/06/2025
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:
Q00016920
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

Fitness and Exercise: Walk, Cycle and Move

Get active and improve your fitness with our Fitness and Exercise: Walk, Cycle and Move course. Learn how to incorporate walking, cycling, and other forms of movement into your daily routine for better health and well-being. Ideal for individuals looking to stay active and improve their overall fitness.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 24/04/2025 -
Thu 22/05/2025
Times:
1:15pm - 3:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Rector's Way Allotments (Weston-super-Ma
Rectors Way
Weston-super-Mare
BS23 3NP
Tutor:
Matt Doolan
Course code:
Q00017812
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £47.25

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 25/04/2025 -
Fri 13/06/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:30am
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Clare House (SCUNTHORPE)
31 Wells Street
SCUNTHORPE
DN15 6HL
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018118
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Fitness and Exercise: Yoga to support stress management

Discover how yoga can help you manage stress with our Yoga to Support Stress Management course. This class focuses on yoga practices designed to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Through a combination of gentle postures, breathwork, and mindfulness techniques, you will learn methods to calm the mind and relieve tension in the body. 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 effective strategies for managing stress, enhancing your overall well-being through the practice of yoga.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 25/04/2025 -
Fri 23/05/2025
Times:
9:30am - 11:00am
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018235
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

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 to support stress management

Do you want to better manage stress and enhance your overall well-being? This course focuses on mindful relaxation practices to support stress management. Stress can cause physical and mental tension, but through mindful relaxation, you can learn to ease this tension and find calm. We will focus on body awareness, breathwork, and mindful movements to reduce stress. Each session will conclude with a guided relaxation practice designed to support stress relief. Everyone can benefit from these practices to manage stress more effectively and improve quality of life.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 25/04/2025 -
Fri 23/05/2025
Times:
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018258
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £27.75

Advanced British Sign Language

Learn to have in-depth interactions in BSL. Embrace inclusive communication and help dismantle communication barriers in society. Knowing how to sign can help you in a variety of situations where you need to interact 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 in social interactions. This course is aimed at advanced-level learners who have a solid base in British Sign Language (BSL). If you are not at an advanced level yet, you can take a beginner’s or improver’s BSL course.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 28/04/2025 -
Mon 14/07/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Helen Watson
Course code:
Q00018017
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £74.00

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.

Course Information

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:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £147.00

Understanding ADHD: Working with ADHD

Are you or a loved one waiting on a diagnosis for ADHD? If so, the tools and resources in this ADHD course can support you through the process. Having correct and up-to-date information is a crucial part of understanding the diagnosis. This equality & diversity course is aimed at people supporting others with ADHD. Gain understanding of what ADHD is and how it affects behaviour. Consider the facts and myths surrounding ADHD and learn ways to interact productively with individuals with ADHD. Gain awareness of behaviour that challenges and explore strategies to manage it.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 02/05/2025 -
Fri 16/05/2025
Times:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Sanjaya Grero
Course code:
Q00016756
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

Personal Development: Individual Growth and Self-awareness

The course focuses on self-reflection, discovery, and skill-building to enhance personal growth and enable individuals to thrive in various aspects of life. It enables learners to explore their own interests and talents, by nurturing aspects of themselves that can fulfil their self-esteem and create positive mindset, which essentially will grant them personal independence for both work and personal life. Throughout this transformative journey, participants will build strong foundations and be empowered with the tools and insights to navigate life with confidence and independence. Alongside personal development, learners will also be supported to develop and improve written and spoken English.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 06/05/2025 -
Tue 15/07/2025
Times:
12:30pm - 2:30pm
Duration:
10 sessions
Location:
Millan Centre (Bradford)
Victor Street
Bradford
BD9 4RA
Tutor:
Tanzeela Javid
Course code:
Q00015333
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Lipreading and Managing Hearing Loss

Come along and join our friendly lipreading group in Hayle. 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 08/05/2025 -
Thu 19/06/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Hayle Community Centre
58 Queensway
Hayle
TR27 4NX
Tutor:
Janet Corbett Marston
Course code:
Q00017049
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40