WEA courses

Make a difference in your community by becoming an ESOL volunteer. Learn essential skills and knowledge required to support non-native speakers in their English language learning journey. Ideal for individuals looking to volunteer and help others improve their English skills.

WEA are proud to deliver this course in partnership with Stockport Continuing Education Service. This course is intended for learners already at Entry Level 3 on their ESOL pathway who require some extra support to learn the specialist vocabulary and employability skills related to care work. After this course learners may continue their studies by joining our Step into Care programme leading to a work placement in a care setting.

Build up your knowledge of everyday Spanish and gain confidence communicating on your next trip. These intermediate Spanish lessons will boost your language skills so you feel comfortable communicating in everyday situations. Order food and drink, ask for directions, and understand basic instructions. After this intermediate Spanish language course, you'll feel confident expressing yourself in Spanish.

This course is designed to help new drivers prepare for the driving theory test, a crucial step toward obtaining a driver’s license. The course covers all essential topics included in the driving theory test, such as road signs, traffic laws, safe driving practices, and hazard perception. Through interactive lessons, practice tests, and detailed explanations, participants will gain a solid understanding of the rules of the road and develop the knowledge and confidence needed to pass the theory test.

Beginner’s Digital Skills course for adults. Learn basic computer skills and get digitally fit for modern life. Learning for life and work. Learn to use digital devices and gain essential computer skills for professional and personal use. Digital training helps you move with the times and not get left behind. This beginner’s course is for anyone who wants to learn digital skills, no matter your current knowledge. This course is appropriate for complete beginners, so don’t worry if this is all new to you. Learn to use word processing software and fill out online forms in this Digital Skills course. Understand how to use email and search for information online. This digital skills training also teaches you how to shop online securely. You’ll understand online safety and data storage. Digital courses online offer you learning for life and work. You’ll learn digital skills to help you in your everyday life. This course could also help you progress to job roles that require digital work skills.

Experiment with a range of materials and complete a number of exciting projects in art including landscape painting and a personal project. This course offers expert but accessible instruction in drawing, colour mixing, landscape painting and a personal project such as a portrait or abstract design. The course takes place at Ashley Place, which is a residential home for adults with a physical disability, but the course is open to everyone from the community with or without a disability.

We will consider a range of films, from classics to contemporary cinema. We will discuss the style and meaning of diverse extracts drawing on key ideas from Film Studies. We will consider films from diverse countries, comparing and contrasting these with American and British cinema. The class will be organised around discussion of selected extracts, with guidance on points to look for, including different aspects of film such as the screenplay and cinematography. Students will be encouraged to develop their responses in small groups. Case studies will be included on Alfred Hitchcock and British cinema.

Plays of Brian Friel will be studied, read and workshopped. The group will discuss his stage devices and how his plays might be produced. We shall look at aspects of how he creates characters and tells epic stories on stage that resonate with current modern theatre audiences. His plays use intriguing theatrical metaphors and poetic structures to reflect on the ways in which Ireland has evolved, resisted and grown over its history. Friel’s writing produces powerful imagery on-stage that take audiences into the heart of the issues he explores. Over ten weeks, two to three plays will be discussed and workshopped to appreciate the various theatrical devices that Friel often uses.

From the most idealised to the most troubled narratives, childhood has consistently been a source of inspiration in literature. In this course, we will be considering how a range of authors represent childhood, the themes that connect with this idea, and how different contexts have changed how childhood is portrayed. Through our discussions, we will be analysing texts across different genres, reflecting on the questions and challenges that writers face when representing this profoundly influential stage in life.

Do you have an interest in sewing, fashion or dressmaking and want to get started? This course is for you if you are new to sewing and using a sewing machine On this course, you will learn the basic sewing techniques needed to use a machine. With the support of your tutor, you will learn how to use pattern to make samples and a simple garment.