Adult education
It is never too late to learn – even if you didn’t like school, or have been working for years. There are many courses and
resources available to people over 18 who want to learn. You might want to gain a qualification to enhance your career prospects or
pave the way for changing professions. Or you might want to pursue a subject you love and study literature, Thai cookery or even
belly-dancing!
Choosing a course
London has many adult education opportunities, with thousands of subjects on offer at many centres throughout the city.
- Look for courses near you.
- See the official guide to courses in London - Hotcourses. Every course in London, whether part-time or full-time, is listed here if it is run by a government-funded college, university or adult education centre.
- Resources and advice on all aspects of learning as an adult.
Different ways of studying
Adult learning often has to be fitted around a full or part-time job or bringing up a family. Flexibility is the name of the game –
and there are a host of different types of courses on offer to enable you to fit learning in to your life.
- Access courses allow you to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to go in to Higher Education. The
Universities & Colleges Admissions Service’s (UCAS) access section contains a
searchable database of the whole range of courses available.
- Bite Size Intros are a great way to get back into learning, especially if
you haven't done any for a while. There are thousands of free courses being held at hundreds of locations across England
and London so there's bound to be one that suits you.
- Distance learning involves studying from home, and communicating periodically with your tutor online or by phone or
email. Open University and Birkbeck College,
University of London are well known for their distance learning programmes.
- Flexible and open learning allows you to fit in study when you can. It can work well when you need access to equipment
from pottery wheels to computers.
- Intensive courses pack learning into a short period – perhaps with classes twice a week, or a class that moves faster
than usual, with extra study you can do at home.
- Learning online is an increasingly popular option. The BBC offers a number of
free online courses, including Creative Writing, Basic Skills,
Gardening, Computers & IT, History, Journalism & Broadcasting, Languages and more.
- Modular courses allow full-time workers to study for a new qualification and accumulate credits - while they continue
working. It is an ideal way to retrain for a new career whilst keeping the money coming in.
- Part-time courses can be held in the daytime or evening, and fit easily into students’ working or family lives. Courses
can take a couple of hours a week for anything from two to thirty weeks. Part-time first and postgraduate degrees take
several years.
- Short courses pack a lot of learning into one session. They can range from a half or full day at the weekend to
several days or even weeks.
Financial help
You don’t need to have a private income to be able to access adult education. Options include free courses, funding, career
development loans, benefits and grants. More about financial help.
Helpful Adult Education sites
- Learn Direct is a one-stop shop for all you need to think through when
considering adult education.
- Get informed with the Lifelong learning site.
- Way to learn can help you find your ideal adult course for a qualification or just for fun. It will inspire, support and
guide you every step of the way.
- If you’re over 50, Directgov has a section on Adult
Education focusing on your stage of life including financial help for learning and training.
- If you are currently employed and want to enhance your career, see
Progressing at work in the Business and Jobs section.
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