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.

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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.

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Healthy Living: Early Summer Online Retreat for Carers, those who have Cared and the Cared For

It's time to recharge and spring into an 8-week early summer detox course, both mentally and physically. This course will help you do just that! This course will give you some good ideas on how to put more self-care practices into your daily routine, you'll learn about beauty routines, gua sha and face yoga exercises with divine natural, skincare products to help to improve your own self-care journey. This online, 8-week course will help you learn in a supportive atmosphere with likeminded learners and with a tutor who is very knowledgeable and experienced in running these kinds of courses.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 02/06/2025 -
Mon 21/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 11:30am
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Lisa Richards
Course code:
Q00021828
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £59.20

Makaton

Ever heard of Makaton? It's a unique language programme, and over 100,000 people are using it to communicate in the UK today. It combines symbols, signs, and speech to make conversation easier for people who have communication difficulties. This Makaton course is ideal for you if you want to learn an inclusive communication tool. It can help you interact with people who have speech, hearing, or learning difficulties. This Makaton sign language course covers the essentials of hand signals, fingerspelling, and signing. Learn to introduce yourself. Develop knowledge to be able to sign about basic topics such as numbers and colours.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 02/06/2025 -
Mon 28/07/2025
Location:
Riverside Community Health Project (Newc
Carnegie Building
Atkinson Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 8XS
Course code:
Q00022157
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Cooking on a Budget

Cooking homemade food doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Learn how to feed the whole family with tasty and affordable meals in this cooking on a budget course. This is a cooking and personal finance course rolled into one. You’ll get practical budgeting tips you can apply in the kitchen. This course is ideal for you if you’d like to learn how to cook homemade meals on a reduced budget.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 02/06/2025 -
Mon 28/07/2025
Location:
Heart on the Terrace
8 Woods Terrace
Murton
North East
SR7 9AA
Course code:
Q00022174
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £84.00

Fitness and Exercise: Feng Shui

If you have ever heard of this interesting art, you may be aware that Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice that focuses on the relevance of buildings, objects, and spaces to achieve harmony and balance within your home environment with an aim to promote well-being and prosperity. It's a system of aligning a person's environment with their energy flow, based on the principles of Taoism and the interaction of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. During this course you will learn how to use the bagua, a map used to divide your space into nine separate areas, each relating to a different theme.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 02/06/2025 -
Mon 07/07/2025
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Georgia Daniel
Course code:
Q00022277
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.30

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Personal Development: Build your resilience

Feeling overwhelmed by life's constant challenges? This 7-week emotional resilience course equips you with powerful tools to navigate uncertainty and build inner strength. Explore how your thoughts, emotions, and experiences influence your mental wellbeing and overall resilience. Discover effective coping strategies to manage stress, stay positive, and communicate effectively in your social circles. By examining your life perspective and approach, you'll gain the confidence to recharge your batteries and cultivate a more positive outlook.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 15/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
14 sessions
Location:
KCU Ltd at Fuller Church (Kettering)
51 Gold Street
Kettering
NN16 8JB
Tutor:
Caroline Smy
Course code:
Q00016764
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Personal Development: Gratitude journaling

This 7-week course is your gateway to a more fulfilling life! Discover the transformative power of gratitude journaling, a practice that combines mindfulness and writing to boost your wellbeing. Explore how expressing gratitude can shift your perspective and cultivate a more positive outlook. Learn practical journaling techniques to track your everyday blessings and witness the uplifting impact on your mood.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 15/07/2025
Times:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Duration:
14 sessions
Location:
KCU Ltd at Fuller Church (Kettering)
51 Gold Street
Kettering
NN16 8JB
Tutor:
Caroline Smy
Course code:
Q00016769
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
8 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £58.80

Healthy Living: Meditation and Mindfulness to support emotional resilience

Cultivate emotional resilience with our Meditation and Mindfulness for Emotional Resilience course. This class focuses on practices to manage emotions, build inner strength, and enhance emotional well-being. Through guided meditations and mindfulness techniques, you will learn to regulate emotions, cultivate compassion, and navigate life's challenges with greater ease. Suitable for all levels, this course empowers you to develop emotional resilience in a supportive learning environment.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 15/07/2025
Times:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Duration:
7 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Nicola Bailey
Course code:
Q00018254
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £38.85

Fitness and Exercise: Seated Aerobics

Get Moving and Feel Empowered! It is said that sitting for long, uninterrupted periods of time may leave you more prone to cardiovascular problems. So come along to this Seated Aerobics course to get those limbs moving, and those hearts pumping!

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 08/07/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Gladys Court Bournemouth
70/72 Wellington Road
Bournemouth
BH8 8JG
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00016945
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.80

Fitness and Exercise: Stretch and Move to Music

This course builds on previous exercise & movement to help improve posture & balance, and social interaction.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Tue 29/07/2025
Times:
9:45am - 11:45am
Duration:
9 sessions
Location:
Vicarage Court Care Home (Pontefract)
Vicarage Gardens
Featherstone
Pontefract
WF7 6NH
Tutor:
Juliana Gilmartin
Course code:
Q00022185
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £75.60

Air fryer cooking

Cooking homemade food doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Learn how to feed the whole family with tasty and affordable meals in this cooking on a budget course. This is a cooking and personal finance course rolled into one. You’ll get practical budgeting tips you can apply in the kitchen. This course is ideal for you if you’d like to learn how to cook homemade meals on a reduced budget.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 03/06/2025 -
Mon 21/07/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
8 sessions
Location:
Delves Lane Community association (Conse
Village Hall
Delves Lane
Consett
DH8 7BH
Tutor:
Fran Szoradi
Course code:
Q00022206
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £75.60