WEA Yorkshire and Humber Region

We provide a wide variety of quality assured part-time courses for individual learners across Yorkshire and the Humber. We also manage customised educational projects on behalf of national and local government and other funders.

Many of our courses enable adults with few, or no, previous educational qualifications to gain nationally recognised qualifications with friendly support and encouragement.

We have an ethos of social purpose and encourage adults to improve their capacity to take part in community activity and become effective volunteers and activists in communities, charities or trade unions.

We have specific expertise in active citizenship and practical political education, introducing people to decision-making processes and working with partners such as the Regional Active Citizenship Learning Alliance to assist local authorities in reaching National Indicator targets and the Parliamentary Outreach Service to encourage an understanding of democratic processes.

We also run part-time courses for adults with a love of learning who want to develop an understanding of a subject ‘for its own sake’ and wish to be involved in the planning and delivery of the provision. We offer community-based opportunities for serious educational study, with a focus that is more academic than leisure.

How we work

Volunteers work alongside paid staff to run courses in every local authority in the Yorkshire and Humber region. We own very few buildings so that we can respond flexibly by providing courses in local community venues, often ones used by organisations we work in partnership with. Teams of WEA staff and branch volunteers work within their local communities to develop and support courses and activities. Staff, management and voluntary governance links ensure coherence at local, sub-regional, regional and national levels and beyond.

In partnership

Our distinctive provision and our work in many community partnerships has a proven track record of supporting several national and local government priorities across various functions and Departments. There is not space here to illustrate them all.

Our part-time courses and projects complement what is offered by schools, colleges, universities and private training providers. We work with many other providers on initiatives ranging from a very successful Helping in Schools programme involving adults in activities that improve children’s attainment to partnerships with various Universities though Aimhigher projects that encourage non-traditional learners’ aspirations.

Other productive partnerships span fields including health, culture, sustainability, heritage and many other areas.

Who learns?

There were almost 24,000 enrolments in 2010/11 for our part-time courses across the region.

Statistics for the year show the reach of our provision and the diversity of our learners in Yorkshire and the Humber:

• 45% live in postcodes which indicate deprivation (as defined by the government)
• 51% did not have to pay fees for economic reasons (as defined by funders)
• 51% had qualifications below Level 2 when they joined their courses
• 31% had a declared physical disability
• 16% had a declared learning disability
• 19% were from a declared ethnic minority

Where we work

Our courses take place in community venues across the region. We find that taking education to local venues such as schools, community centres, workplaces, church halls, mosques and village halls helps people who are returning to learning feel comfortable and relaxed. It’s an important part of attracting the ‘hard-to-reach’ learners who would often be reluctant to attend the nearest college or other formal education provider.

The table shows the number of WEA courses and enrolments across Yorkshire and the Humber in 2010/11.

Contacting Yorkshire and Humber Region

Our WEA office for Yorkshire and Humberside is based in Leeds.  You can view contact details here, visit the Yorkshire and Humber website here, or see a listing of local WEA branches here.  To find out about courses in these areas visit our online course search.