Courses for Everyone

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of adult education. We provide around 12,000 part-time courses each year, reaching over 80,000 adults of all ages and educational backgrounds. We operate in all nine English regions and in Scotland.

We do our best to take education to where it is needed, amongst the local community, rather than expecting people to come to us. So WEA courses can be set up almost anywhere – for example in clubs, community centres, village halls, schools, pubs or where people work.

Many of our courses are run in partnership with local community groups, charities and other organisations - typically for members, service uses or clients of those organisations. We also run many courses through one of our local branches (there are over 450); these branches are run by volunteers and organise courses in their local area open to anyone interested in the subject of the course.

To see what publicly available courses are coming up in your area, use our online course search here. Alternatively, to enquire about courses and branches in your area, contact your local WEA region using this page.

Funding
The government supports the WEA through funding from the Learning and Skills Council in England, and from the Scottish Executive and Local Authorities in Scotland. Funds are also raised nationally and regionally from a variety of other sources including educational projects funded by organisations such as the European Union and the Big Lottery Fund; the fees charged to students on many of our courses, and charitable donations and bequests from members and benefactors.

Support for learning
The WEA provides a range of support for students on our courses who need financial help, or who have disabilities or learning difficulties. WEA tutors, branches and regions can all provide more information on this. Contact details for your local WEA region can be found here.

We can also make suggestions about progression to further learning and refer students to other providers and agencies where necessary.

There is also some information on support for learning on WEA courses here.

WEA Learner Impact Survey 2009
This survey of WEA students who attended courses three years ago shows the positive effects that attending our courses has had on their lives. Six out of ten of them have progressed on to other courses, while over a third have become involved in voluntary or community activity. 80% reported that their course had improved their skills and confidence.
Click here to download the survey report.

The three main categories of our courses
All WEA courses in England fall into one of three main categories, known as educational strands:

Community Involvement - 48% of courses
These are courses for groups or individuals who want to develop their skills and knowledge in order to play a fuller role in their community. Mainly run in partnership with local community organisations, the courses aim to provide learning opportunities to adults with little previous educational background.

Across the country we work with hundreds of partner organisations to provide over 5,000 WEA courses each year in this strand, typically to clients, members or service users of the partners. The courses are created around the needs of the learners and run in local venues such as community centres, schools and health centres, many in some of the most disadvantaged urban and rural communities.

If there’s a need for a new course or educational project for a local community organisation, let us know. We may be able to help. Contact your WEA region through the ‘Contact us’ section on the left-hand menu for further guidance.

The five most common broad subject areas for community involvement courses are crafts and creative arts; computer skills; health; family learning, and courses for trade union activists – although courses are run in many other subjects as well.

Cultural Studies - 35% of courses
Courses for people who want to learn in order to increase their understanding of particular subjects, share ideas with others and develop their creative skills. Cultural studies courses are open to anyone wanting to study structured courses of interest, but not typically to gain qualifications.

The five most popular broad subject areas are art (including art appreciation and art history) history, literature, creative writing, music and science.

Cultural Studies courses are largely run through one of the WEA’s many local branches (click here for a list of branches, or contact your local region through the ‘Contact us’ section on the left-hand menu).

Second chance to learn - 17% of courses
Thousands of people have joined a WEA class as a first step back into education – often for the first time since negative experiences at school. These courses concentrate on providing vital skills and often lead to qualifications.

The five most common broad subject areas in this strand are English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); literacy; numeracy; computer skills, and study skills.