WEA courses

Digital skills are increasingly in demand in modern society. Picking up essential digital skills can help you go about your everyday life, as well as open doors to employment opportunities. This course starts at the beginning and covers everything from using a digital device to getting started on social media and making videos. This Entry-level 3 digital skills course is aimed at complete beginners- so don’t worry if this is new to you. If you want to learn digital skills for everyday life or improve your job prospects, this course is ideal for you. It's also suitable for people reentering the workforce after a long break.

If you enjoy the buzz of learning environments, this qualification can teach you key skills for employment in a school or college. This government-funded course prepares you for a variety of roles. It provides the basic skills and knowledge necessary to work in admin, technical, or support roles in a learning environment. Studying support work in schools at level 2 can be a first step towards working with kids in teaching positions. It also provides you with the qualifications needed to work in admin at schools. No matter what role you’re interested in, this course can teach you skills for employability in schools and colleges.

Develop skills to help you read, write, and communicate in English with confidence. Improved language skills open doors to work and study opportunities and help you learn key skills for employment. Level 1 functional skills courses are not like learning English at school. They’re created by adults for adults, and aim to teach you practical English skills through real-life situations. Strengthen your writing skills and learn reading techniques to help you tackle everyday situations at work or while studying. This adult English course helps you develop your language skills through real-life situations. Functional Skills level 1 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. This course is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley famously said that ‘Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.’ This course tracks the development of English poetry, from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the contemporary poetry of Jack Underwood, Emily Berry, and Rachael Allen. As well as considering each of the poets in isolation from week to week, we will also use the seven week course to ask ourselves: how has poetry developed through the years, and what has remained the same? As well as considering each of the poets and poems in isolation from week to week, we will also take the opportunity to compare what aspects No previous knowledge of poetry is necessary – everybody is most welcome!

The term will begin with an analysis of Eastern Europe and the Near East at the beginning of the 11th century, exploring the steps towards a climate that would produce the first crusade. In particular, we will examine the condition and policies of the Byzantine Empire and why its position would be so critical in the events which unfolded later, along with the conquests and upheavals of the Seljuk Turks, leading to the critical battle of Manzikert. Thereafter, we will look at how developments in Western Europe would then lead to the circumstances and outcomes of the first crusade.

How did the Roman Empire survive the great challenges it faced during the later 8th century? We will examine how the later reign of Konstantine V and then his heirs not only oversaw an even stricter type of iconoclasm, but also how they brought about other key developments within mediaeval Roman society. We will also explore how the struggle against the Abbasid Caliphate continued to evolve. Finally, we will look at the emergence of Empress Eirene during the later years of the eighth century, and how she maintained her grip on power, despite much internal opposition.

Does the thought of using computers, the internet and other digital technologies leave you feeling out of touch and overwhelmed? Have you thought about gaining some digital skills but didn’t know quite where to turn? If the answer to these questions is a resounding “Yes!” then you will feel right at home on our new Digital Skills for Everyday Living course. Here at the WEA, we have been busy developing this new and exciting course for people with little or no experience of digital technologies who want to acquire the skills to become ‘digitally literate’ in their everyday life and work. Our aim is to empower you to confidently engage with the digital world of laptops, smart phones, email, news, word processing, social media, entertainment, shopping and more.

On this course, you will explore a range of digital skills and practices. Discover ways to keep yourself and your family safe by learning how to use parental controls, how to make payments safely and how to protect yourself from scammers. You must live in the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire postcode areas to get this course free.

This course aims to prepare you for support work in Schools and Colleges. You'll gain an overview of the different kinds of education provisions, the needs of the children and / or young people, and be introduced to the importance of developing professional relationships.

Building a website is easier than you think with WordPress. If you’d like to have a space online to share your thoughts, work, or creations, this beginner’s WordPress course can prepare you to launch your site in a matter of weeks. Whether you’re a small business owner, vendor, blogger, or just enthusiastic about a subject, you can benefit from having visibility online. This WordPress training takes you through the process of creating your website step by step. This WordPress course is aimed at beginners, so don’t worry if this is new to you!