WEA courses

The role of the community interpreter is an integral part of our changing communities and increasingly important. The interpreter acts as a bridge between communities and enables people to access the services they need and approach situations which otherwise would not be possible. The Level 2 Certificate in Preparing for the Community Interpreting Role enables learners who are speakers of other languages to develop the language and skills necessary to go on and train as Community Interpreters at Level 3 and Level 4. This is the ideal qualification for anyone who wants to enter the interpreting profession and become a paid interpreter or volunteer in the UK.

Multiply Online is your gateway to mathematical empowerment for financial literacy. Delve into essential topics including budgeting, understanding topics used for functional skills, school curriculum math support, credit comprehension, and maximizing financial resources. Key Topics: Budgeting money effectively Preparing for functional skills qualification(FS) Supporting children's math education Understanding credit and finance Optimising financial decisions Benefits: Practical math skills for everyday life Confidence in managing personal finances Empowerment to make informed financial decisions Enhanced support for children's math learning Increase your confidence with maths. Format: Engaging online modules, interactive exercises, and real-life application scenarios. Duration: Self-paced for flexibility! The course material is available online and accessible via smartphone, tablet, or computer. Additionally, there will be weekly face-to-face sessions to provide support for accessing the learning. Your numeracy coach will also maintain regular contact to support you throughout the course. This course is funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

If you help out in a community or voluntary role, you may need to work with food. Understanding the safe handling of food is key to preventing infections and ensuring proper hygiene. Food safety courses are useful if you do any kind of charity or voluntary work that involves handling food. Whether you help prepare lunches at a community centre or collaborate with a food bank, this knowledge can help you ensure hygiene measures are followed.

Managing and maintaining good hygiene is important for your health and well-being. To help you with this, try to follow a daily routine that includes things like brushing your teeth, washing your body, and taking care of your hair. You can use pictures or step-by-step guides to make it easier.

Get clear on what the real story is in your first draft. Fantastic you are at this stage but re-writing is where support and accountability will make all the difference. This 5-hour course helps you get clear on your story. Using insightful coaching questions and completing writing exercises in class you will parse the story, straighten out your character arc and ensure plot holes are removed or tied up. This course gives you the time to step back from the manuscript, reflect on what’s working, identify what’s not, so as to embellish what lies at the heart. We’ll recap what story beats make a story satisfying. We’ll write and share in pairs.

This 6 session course will offer learners the opportunity to practise and learn more about using watercolour as a medium through different tasks and projects. You will be working from imagery of flowers, trees and other organic objects to inspire you and will cover use of specific essential techniques such as wet on wet, lost and found edges and tips on how to work from light to dark. Sharing work, feedback and group discussion will be an essential component for this course. Suitable for beginners and those with experience. Materials list will be available on canvas prior to course.

Mindfulness means the awareness that arises from paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Jon Kabat-Zinn 1990 Surely drawing is a perfect way to stay present in the moment...or is it? Not if the inner critic has anything to do with it. This course will help you challenge your inner critical voice and help you gain confidence in your drawings. You will be encouraged through weekly exercises that build on your skills and willingness to let go of any sense of accuracy or perfection. Instead the practical drawing approaches will instil a sense of liberty in yourself and emphasis on trusting your instincts. Drawing materials list will be available beofre course starts on Canvas. This course will be run online with an intimate and friendly sharing group.

In this course, we will discuss in detail works from lesser-known painters of the Renaissance era. Since the High Renaissance is much better known, we will look at artists from the fifteenth century, who were very highly thought of at the time. They were influential and sought-after by the powerful in Florence.

Over the last twenty years, research and exhibitions have brought to our attention a great number of Victorian women artists. From Emily Mary Osborn and Lady Butler (aka Elizabeth Thompson) to Evelyn De Morgan, 19th century London did not lack great women artists. They lived in a society that globally remained hostile to independent career women. We will see how they trained, what they painted and his which style, and how they balanced the pressure of social norms and their personal ambition.

In this course we will explore some of the developments in modern 20th century sculpture through the work of a selection of women sculptors. These sessions will seek to evaluate and contrast the work of these female artists against the backdrop of the events and movements in art, and the prevailing thinking about sculpture over the last 100 years which previously had been dominated by male artists. There are no requirements from students prior to the beginning of the course. Students would benefit from access to online sources during the course. Papers and images will be made available to students through the WEA Canvas site. You will need to have access to the internet to access the papers for this course. The course uses a secure digital learning portal for all the classes and for communications with the tutor and access to learning materials. The course would be appropriate for both experienced viewers of art and those new to the subject.