WEA courses

This course is funded by the Greater London Combined Authority and is only available to residents living within the Greater London Combined Authority area. This advanced course is designed for experienced textile and fashion learners who want to push their creative practice by exploring sophisticated embellishment techniques. Focusing on both traditional and contemporary methods, the course teaches how to design, construct, and apply a wide range of decorative elements to enhance garments, accessories, or textile artworks. Learners will experiment with advanced surface-decoration processes such as beadwork, hand embroidery, appliqué, fabric manipulation, 3D textile structures, couture embellishment techniques, and mixed-media detailing. They will investigate how embellishments can elevate a design concept, add texture, create focal points, and communicate personal style. Students will work through idea development, sampling, and refinement, creating a series of high-quality embellishment tests before applying selected techniques to a final project. The course also explores professional considerations, including design cohesion, durability, placement, and how to integrate embellishment into finished pieces without overwhelming the form or construction. With tutor guidance, learners will develop their own creative direction while strengthening precision, craftsmanship, and problem-solving skills. By the end of the course, participants will have a collection of advanced embellishment samples and a fully embellished piece that showcases technical expertise and a strong design identity—ideal for portfolio building or progressing towards professional work.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. Beginners Language for Work (Entry 1) supports adults who want to develop basic English skills for everyday workplace communication. The course introduces simple speaking, listening, reading and writing tasks based on real work situations, such as greeting colleagues, asking short questions, describing routines and understanding brief instructions. Learners build essential workplace vocabulary and practise using clear, simple English with colleagues, supervisors and customers. Activities include pair work, role play, picture based tasks and short reading and writing exercises linked to common workplace documents. Learners also develop early communication strategies, including checking understanding and using polite language, helping them gain confidence for entry level work roles or further ESOL study.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. This Everyday Cooking for Wellbeing course supports adults to improve their wellbeing through simple, enjoyable cooking activities. Learners explore everyday ingredients, basic cooking actions and supportive routines that promote confidence and positive mental health. Each session includes a practical cooking task, opportunities to talk about food and wellbeing, and gentle activities that encourage connection and relaxation. The course is suitable for all adults, including those with ESOL needs, and provides clear demonstrations and visual support. Activities focus on participation, enjoyment and building confidence through shared cooking experiences.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities.  This short course will help you build the digital skills needed for everyday working life. You will learn how to use your smartphone, tablet or computer to communicate professionally using email and workplace messaging tools such as Teams. The course will also show you how to stay safe online by creating secure passwords and recognising trusted websites. You will practise organising important documents, such as certificates, and sharing them correctly. In addition, you will develop your ability to research workplace information independently. By the end of the course, you will feel more confident using digital tools for communication and completing tasks in a work environment.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. This five-day course equips learners with the essential skills, confidence, and mindset required to prepare to enter the workplace. Through interactive sessions, learners will explore employer expectations, communication techniques, teamwork, time management, and problem-solving strategies. The course enables learners to develop confidence in speaking up, taking initiative, and performing under pressure. Digital skills and leadership capabilities are also introduced to prepare learners for modern working environments. By the end of the course, learners will have applied their knowledge in a realistic workplace simulation and developed a personalised action plan to support their future career progression.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities.  This course will help you understand what positive workplace behaviour looks like and why it is important. You will explore everyday situations that can cause problems at work, such as making a mistake, not understanding instructions or needing help. You will learn how to stay calm and communicate respectfully. You will practise responding to problems in a positive way. The course ends with a supportive workplace scenario, allowing you to demonstrate your learning and build confidence for starting or returning to work.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. Maths for Creative Crafts is a practical Entry Level course that builds confidence in everyday maths through hands-on creative projects. Over 6 sessions, you will develop essential numeracy skills including measuring accurately, calculating quantities and costs, working with shapes, managing a simple budget, and planning time. Each session links a maths skill directly to a craft activity, helping learners see how maths supports planning, design and decision-making. Delivered in a supportive and inclusive environment, the course encourages discussion, practice and step-by-step learning. By the end of the course, learners will feel more confident applying maths in creative work and everyday life.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. English Conversation – Entry 2 helps learners develop confidence speaking in a wider range of everyday situations. The course focuses on using simple sentences to talk about daily life, ask and answer questions and share personal experiences. Learners practise listening for key information, expressing likes and dislikes and taking part in short group discussions. Activities include role‑play, pair work and practical speaking tasks to build fluency and confidence. The course supports learners who can use basic English but want to develop clearer, more confident communication in everyday conversations.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. English Conversation – Entry 3 helps learners develop clearer, more confident spoken English for everyday and community situations. The course focuses on using connected sentences to express opinions, describe experiences and take part in short discussions. Learners practise listening for detail, asking follow‑up questions and using a wider range of vocabulary. Activities include group discussions, role‑play and practical speaking tasks that build fluency and confidence. The course supports learners who want to improve their communication skills for daily life, volunteering or further ESOL study.

This course is funded by the Department for Education and only open to residents living in non devolved authorities. English Conversation – Entry 1 helps learners build confidence using simple spoken English in familiar, everyday situations. The course focuses on short conversations such as greetings, introductions, asking simple questions and giving basic personal information. Learners practise listening for key words, responding with short phrases and using everyday vocabulary to communicate needs. Activities include pair work, role‑play and guided conversations to help learners feel more comfortable speaking in English. The course provides a supportive starting point for learners who are beginning to use spoken English and want to develop confidence before progressing to higher‑level conversation classes.