WEA courses

Go behind the scenes of the Government Art Collection, a less well-known national art collection, with Chantal Condron, a former curator at the Collection. Discover the fascinating origins of its history, and the people and events that have shaped its past. Explore how and why artworks are acquired or commissioned and discover some of the locations where they have been displayed. We explore works across a range of media from paintings to film, by artists from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including Marcus Gheerhaerts the Younger, Thomas Phillips, Bridget Riley, Michael Armitage and recent Turner Prize winner, Jesse Darling.

How do the popular representations of smuggling in novels, songs, poems, paintings and film match up to the reality? We will look at some of the enduring romantic depictions alongside official records to consider the reality of life for people up and down the Essex coast in the 18th century engaged in smuggling or the fight against it.

Get to the core of how to build or promote a business with this digital marketing course. Digital promotion activities such as online and social media marketing can help you support your company’s growth or build your own business. Get first-hand knowledge of key business activities that promote growth. Gain a clear understanding of digital marketing practices with this digital skills course. It’s ideal for flexible learning as you can choose topics that interest you from a variety of units. Pick up crucial skills for employment that can help you in any sector and build skills for your CV.

Show don’t tell – so often easier said than done – Just how does an idea turn into a script? How much info do I include in a script? Is it really more than just dialogue? In some ways writing a script requires a very different approach from the writer. We gain knowledge and understanding of the differing requirements of writing for the screen, both what works for TV and what approach is more cinematic, as well as writing for the radio. Radio, so often described as the ‘intimate’ medium, plays in a listener’s head offering scope for greater imagination and powerful emotional effect. We will also explore the creative process, just what is the correct format for each of these mediums, where to start, how to develop an idea into a script, allowing it to grow scene by scene (what even is ‘a scene’). The course will also cover writing/developing a TV series, comedy, writing for ‘soaps’ and feature some more general skills on developing story structure and character development of interest to any budding writer. With a mix of group and individual tasks, discussion, analysis of clips as examples, it is hoped that all will dabble and develop some writing whilst on the course. What makes a good script and what is a bad script? This is an informative and fun course, with some key first hand information, not to be missed.

Would you like to improve your core strength? This yoga course will help you to identify and locate the muscles that form the core, and help you to understand that a stronger core stabilises the spine and improves our balance. You will practice a range of accessible postures that help to build core strength in a safe way and also improve core muscle flexibility. Each session will focus on warming up safely for posture practice and a balanced range of postures that help to build core strength and flexibility. You will learn how breathing influences the muscles of the core. Each session will end with a relaxation.

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.

Are you thinking about taking an ESOL entry 1 speaking and listening course? If so, this course can help to prepare you to study. Set yourself up for success on your ESOL course with this preparation course. Get ready courses help you learn English at your own pace. This course gives you extra study time. This is an introductory English course for beginners. If you’re helping others access entry 1 ESOL classes in the UK, you’ve come to the right place.

Begin your journey towards a rewarding career in education with our SWAP Introduction to Helping in Schools Level 1 course. Learn the essential skills and knowledge required to support teachers and students in the classroom. Ideal for individuals considering a career in education.

This course explores the evolution of road, water, and rail transport in East Anglia from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. We examine how these developments reshaped the landscape and impacted the lives of transport workers and travellers. Through historical analysis and personal stories, participants will gain insights into the region's rich transport heritage and its influence on East Anglia's social and economic fabric.

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.