WEA progression help & learner support pages

Our Learning Progression Advisor team is here to support you while on your course, including to help you explore your options, set goals and plan your future. As a Matrix accredited service, we can provide you with information and advice covering a range of different areas:

improving your soft skills, including building confidence and communication skills
developing your study skills
working out your interests, skills and aspirations,
researching or discovering a new career, or a future career,
improving your employability and professional development
applying for jobs or apprenticeships, or university,
progression to other courses here at the WEA or elsewhere,

We also offer 1-2-1 appointments, where you can talk through any questions that you have with one of our team.

Book a 1:1 session today and get personalised guidance tailored to your journey.

Book your slot here

We also work closely with outside organisations, and can support with making referrals to organisations such as the National Careers Service who can provide expert career guidance. You can find out more information about this below.

Read our Skills for Success brochure here

Unlock your potential with on-course workshops

We also run a varied and exciting programme of learner workshops called ‘Skills for Success’, which are free to attend for all WEA learners. Whether you're tackling assignments, need a boost of confidence for interviews, or want to know more about the career pathway you are studying for, our workshops offer:

Practical guidance to support employment opportunities
Expert support for progression courses for career pathways
Interactive sessions to promote wellbeing and confidence
Opportunities to connect with tutors, external agencies and guest speakers

Head to the events page and filter for ‘On-course support’ to browse the workshops on offer, and book your place today!

As well as helping you to gain valuable skills and learn from your peers, these workshops will also help you to broaden your networks and connect with brilliant local and national organisations.

Careers and Next Steps: Find the information you’re looking for

Do you have questions about your next steps? Are you finding it hard to know where to begin? Maybe you are struggling to understand the job market for your chosen career?

It isn’t always easy to know where to go for information, advice or guidance, which is why we have created a new website area dedicated for current WEA learners, which you can access directly through your WEA account via the Learner Hub.

Here, you can find a whole range of resources which you can make use of to get up-to-date and relevant careers and employability advice, and relevant job market information tailored for WEA learners.

Careers guidance

When it comes to Careers Guidance, we signpost learners towards the National Careers Service for expert guidance.

You can explore your career options on their website, or also speak to a careers adviser or coach on the phone: 0800 100 900

The National Careers Service supports individuals with:

planning and choosing a career,
finding the right courses and learning support for your circumstances,
finding employment,
career development,
understanding employability skills and the labour market,
developing  your CV,
developing job searching skills, and
advice and signposting to other professional organisations that can help you.

Explore your career ideas

There are also a number of services online that can help you in finding more about what you like or dislike about a job. The assessments linked below will help you to explore your skills, interests and motivations. They can also help you to come up with new career ideas, or inspire you to start looking for ways to progress and move forward in your current role or career pathway.

Other useful resources:

Here are some other sites below that you may find useful:

Careers Box
The national careers film library, shows hundreds of real people doing real jobs.

Prospects
Help to guide learners and graduates with information, advice and opportunities.

Apprenticeships 
Information on apprenticeships and current apprenticeship vacancies.

Looking for work, applying for jobs and interviews, or volunteering

Looking for work or an apprenticeship takes time. Navigating the job market is tricky. Within this section are websites that advertise job opportunities and also some useful resources to help you look for job opportunities in areas of work you are interested in. Volunteering can also be a really good route into employment, as it helps you to understand the job better, to gain new skills and meet people who you can learn from.

Visit our job board website here.

Job boards by region/Mayoral region can be found here (coming soon).

Other places to look include newspapers, Facebook, Linkedin, or local recruitment agencies. There are also many sector-specific sites, including eTeach and Education Jobs for education-based jobs, and Care UK, or Care and Support Jobs for the care sector.

CV writing resources

Searching for and applying for that dream job, apprenticeship or work experience placement, will in most cases require you to have an up-to-date CV, complete an online application form and then to attend an interview. This can be a long and stressful process (especially if you have not had to have one before).

Here at the WEA, we offer CV writing courses, where you can learn more about how to do this well, and get the support you need to make progress on creating your own CV. Check out the courses on offer here.

You can also attend our learner workshops on employability, where we cover CV-writing tips, interview tips and more. Check out our event page to book on.

Employment opportunities for individuals with a learning difficulty and/or disability