Returning to learning

Return to learning

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Learning something new has benefits for your self-esteem, confidence and wellbeing - and can also be a first step to further learning, or a new job. The reasons for taking a class are as varied as the subjects on offer. People want to improve a skill, learn a new language, make new friends, take up a new hobby, gain a qualification, or do work-related study... So here\'s some advice if you\'re thinking of returning to learning...

 

By Adrienne Wyper 

Find that course - nationwide

sewing,wine,learn something new,brain booster binoculars on map Hot Courses has information about courses nationwide. Just choose the type of course you want, part-time, degree, etc, then type in the subject, add your area and you\'ll get a list of results. You can see the course costs, course length and where it is. Hot Courses also has course reviews by people who\'ve done them. You don\'t have to do a high-flying, academic course that leads to a qualification. Spending time doing something you enjoy, say, learning something you\'ve always fancied trying, or getting better at a hobby... Pottery, wine-tasting, childcare, dressmaking - can all be extremely rewarding. Whatever you want to do; it\'s up to you...

Do it online

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If you can\'t commit the time to a weekly class timetable, or want to start small, you can learn at your own pace online. The BBC\'s Learning channel has online short courses in 12 subjects, including languages, environmental studies and creative writing.

 

Open University

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The Open University is Europe\'s largest university. You study at home, with \'supported open learning\', which means you receive support and guidance from a tutor, and it offers degrees, but also return-to-study courses. Each course carries points, which add together to make a qualification.
Photo: Open University

National Extension College

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Set up over 40 years ago as a not-for-profit organisation to help people of all ages learn, the NEC supports 20,000 learners a year on over 150 home-study courses including GCSEs, A-levels and other qualifications.
Claire O\'Brien took a Diploma in Pre-school Practice to develop her career in childcare. Her advice is: \'It is a great way to study especially if you would otherwise be unable to do so for whatever reason. There is a great support network on the NEC website too and from your tutor.\'

Learn Direct

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Learn Direct was developed to give people over 16 the opportunity to learn skills that will improve their job prospects. It offers hundreds of courses in Skills for Life - for brushing up on maths and English, Home and Office IT - computers and their uses, Business and Management, and Languages. See the full Learn Direct range here.

Working towards a degree

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LearnDirect also pioneers Learning through work, an individually tailored scheme that allows you to put work experiences towards a degree. Karen Hill, a nurse working in a professional development role at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, graduated from the University of Derby with a BSc in Continuing Professional Development (Nursing) using the scheme. \'I never thought I\'d get a degree,\' says Karen. \'I\'m really proud! Work has definitely benefited - everything I\'ve done has been ploughed straight back into the service.\'

Fancy a break?

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Time to Learn - the online arm of City & Guilds, has a nationwide directory of learning breaks and study tours. These last from two days to a week, and are held at attractive venues, like this one. The courses cover almost every imaginable subject within arts and crafts, computing and technology, dance, drama, environment, health and fitness, history and archaeology, languages, literature, music and personal development. Some may lead to a City & Guilds qualification. All these courses offer a unique opportunity for adults and families to learn, develop skills and enjoy themselves in a safe and supportive environment.

Want to change jobs?

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If you\'re changing jobs, returning to the world of work or just want to explore the options, Learn Direct\'s interactive quiz will help you assess your skills and interests and identify the job groups you\'re best equipped for, and which are likely to capture your interest. The quiz will help tease out skills you might not know you\'ve acquired - both in and out of the workplace. At the end, you\'ll get a list of jobs at your current level of education and skills, and those to work towards, together with details of the skills and/or qualifications needed. So you know what you\'ve got to do...

Into the arts?

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You can take an art appreciation introduction course in Modern and Contemporary Art online with the Tate Gallery. Level 1 is free. There are also behind-the-scenes explorations of various works, the techniques used to create them, and interactive interviews with the artists, such as Tracey Emin.

Location, location, location

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If your course runs at more than one venue, think about it carefully. You want to make the journey as easy as possible, to maximise your chances of going regularly. Although a course may be offered by your own local authority, it may be easier to go for somewhere near work, on the way home, or with easy transport links, and with a start-time you know you can make without having to rush. This sounds obvious, but students can tell you how frustrating it is when latecomers burst in overflowing with apologies week after week. Francesca Wilson, on a yoga class at Morley College in London, says: \'It\'s an ideal time, starting half an hour after work, and the college is on my route home - I just get off the tube one stop earlier and I\'m there.\'

You name it, you can study it

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As well as the more obvious evening classes like languages, you can also study more obscure things, such as screenwriting. What\'s available depends on where you live. Click here to find your local council\'s website, then look in its Education section. Or your local library should have information on courses in your area.

Directgov, the public services online guide, has a roundup of popular subjects: you\'ll find details of courses nationwide on art, cookery, gardening, home improvement, languages, photography and dance.

Learning boosts confidence

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Research carried out by the Learning and Skills Council, who launched the \'Our future - it\'s in your hands\' skills-boosting campaign, revealed that people envy others their skills and abilities more than their appearance. More than a third envied others\' ability to do things, while just 4% envied them their beauty. This envy can spur us on to improve ourselves. And, as Professor Raj Persaud, consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital, says: \'Investing time and effort in new skills is a great way to build self-confidence.\'

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