Where Next?
So, you’ve finished your WEA course and it has ignited your passion for learning, and now you’d like to look for something else to study either for pleasure or professional development.
Well, look no further as WEA runs hundreds of courses on myriad subjects.
Here’s a link to the Next Steps page on the national WEA website.
The government hosts an informative site with details of vocational areas of study to help you decide what to do next.
Alternatively, you could try the links below:
GREATER MANCHESTER
The Manchester College offers various vocational and leisure courses. I have studied all sorts of topics there during the past ten years: fine art printing; ceramics; teacher training; jewellery; photography; Prince2 Project Management. I can personally vouch for the quality of the courses and the expertise of the tutors, especially when studying something creative.
Manchester Adult Education Service
Manchester Metropolitan University
Hot Bed Press in Salford run excellent creative courses such as book making, screen-printing, photo etching and typography, with tutors who are practising artists, in an old converted mill. I have attended two courses with Hot bed Press and the quality of the tuition and facilities are great. The courses are quite expensive though and you’ll need to wear thermals in winter.
MERSEYSIDE
CHESHIRE
LANCASHIRE
University of Central Lancashire
CUMBRIA
IN GENERAL
The website Hot Courses details short courses by topic, in your area.
The Open College of the Arts offers tempting online courses in photography, art & design, art history, textiles, creative writing, and music. I have a friend in London who is currently studying on the Photography course, and she loves every minute of it. We met in Morocco and it was she who introduced me to the joys of Lomography photography. I now possess a Lomo fish eye camera and a Diana camera. Things of beauty they are. Things of beauty.
The Open University got rid of its long hair and sandals with socks approach, ooh way back in the eighties. Employers love it if you’ve studied with the OU.
Want to be a playwright? You could join this online course and study the art of writing for the theatre in the comfort of your own home.
If you are interested in studying creative writing on a residential course then look no further than the Arvon Foundation. They have four big houses in beautiful locations that offer the best in travel writing, food writing, screen-writing, poetry, novel writing, song writing etc.
If you fancy a creative break abroad or in Britain, here are some ideas below:
When it’s gloomy outside and life seems a bit dull and grey around the edges, I often treat myself to a browse of Les Soeurs Anglaises website. These lovely English sisters offer delicious, creative courses at their home in South West France: cooking, knitting, embroidery, book art, music, mixed textiles, photography. Go on, dream a little…
Closer to home, if you fancy a restorative break in the Cotswolds then look no further than Farncombe Estate. Here you can enrol on short residential courses that are too numerous to mention. The estate is situated in glorious countryside near the chocolate box village of Broadway.
This page would not be complete without mentioning West Dean College in Sussex. Yes I know it’s a long way to travel, but just look at the yummy, creative courses on offer.
If the great outdoors is more your thing, then I thoroughly recommend a National Trust working holiday. I have attended four of these ‘holidays’ and I always arrive home feeling utterly rejuvenated. It’s a fabulous way of meeting new people and learning new skills. So far, I have learnt the art of dry stone walling in North Devon, made paths in South Devon, maintained the beautiful gardens at Hidcote Manor in Gloucestershire and cleared parkland on the Ashridge Estate. You have to be quite sociable for these breaks as you share bedrooms with other people and cook and wash up together. This year, I’ll be heading north to look after Lindisfarne Castle.
It’s also worth having a look at HF Holidays. Although they predominantly offer walking holidays, this link will take you to their leisure-activities page.
COOKERY SCHOOLS
If you fancy learning how to cook delicious vegetarian food, then have a look at the Cordon Vert website with details of courses in Altrincham, Cheshire. Or how about something a little more oriental in Manchester? In Cumbria there is the divine L’ Enclume in Grange over Sands, and Lucy Cooks, the cookery school in Kendal, in the Lakes. In Merseyside why not give the Can Cook school a visit? Finally in Lancashire, the Preston Cookery School will saute the men from the boys (groan).