Adult education: it’s never too late to start learning
Wish you knew more about recent history? Wondering if you have untapped potential when it comes to computers? Want to try your hand at crafts like upholstery?
Satisfy your curiosity, earn new skills, have fun, make friends and boost your knowledge with an adult education course.
Finding a course in your area
There are hundreds off different types of courses out there for you to explore. If you’d like to start learning in person, head to the website of your local council and search for adult courses. Most councils fund or are connected with a variety of learning programmes, many of which are either free or very reasonable in price – often around £5 per class. From art appreciation to pure maths or languages, there tends to be a lot of different courses on offer. Classes will often be held in local schools or community centres.
You might not find quite the kind of subjects you’re interested in through your council. If so, broaden your search to include local universities. Most have a wide programme of adult learning courses and you might be able to find more specialised subjects, such as philosophy and religion or screenwriting. Fees vary but they tend to be under or around £100 for a 10 week course.
Love to start learning but you’re not sure you can afford the fees? You may be eligible for a bursary from the government.
Broadening your skills without having to leave the house
It’s also incredibly easy to enrol in a course and start learning all from the comfort of your own home. Check out the resources available through the BBC, which has its own range of skills related and general interest courses you can take part in at your own pace. All of the resources are free and range from reading materials to videos and fact sheets.
If you’d like to work towards a qualification or you’re simply on the hunt for high-quality distance learning, the Open University is an excellent choice. It offers a massive breadth of courses, from astronomy to criminology or Spanish and you can try before you buy, with a good range of free extracts. To earn a qualification, you can expect to pay £2,632 a year for a part time course.
Be inspired by finding out about people who’ve changed their lives by enrolling in a course of study. Adult Learners week takes place in June, but you can check out lots of excellent resources on the ALW site all year round.
Have you given a course a go and learned new skills? Do you want to?
Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor
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