A Guide to Adult Education
There are loads of available options when it comes to taking adult education courses and boosting your credentials. With the growth of the internet and the easy accessibility of the web, home learning has never been easier. While there are some fantastic local short, intense or introductory courses available from educational establishments near you. So here are the many types of adult education available, maybe one of them is exactly what you’re looking for?
• Introductory course* – these can be little free one off courses to get you back into learning or tasters for longer running sessions. You’ll find everything for accounting to belly-dancing and beyond.
• Weekend course - these last all weekend and offer intense training in a fun environment for a specific skill. Things like crafts, corsetry and cobbling are available at the creative end with maths, physics and coaching at the other end.
• Intense course – similar to above but often last a little longer 3-5 days.
• Short Course* – short courses can run anywhere between 5-20 session spread over a period of time.
• Night classes – Night classes tend to run for academic periods (autumn-winter, winter-spring, spring-summer.) and again offer a wide range of adult education courses from language to cookery to maths to book keeping. As the name suggests they tend to run in the evening meaning you can learn and stay at work.
* Admittedly most of these marked courses can be available as evening/night courses but the term is out there floating around so we thought we’d give it its own paragraph.
• Part time courses – These courses run for two days a week and are best if you’re looking to change career and make a transition between the two as you can learn, still earn some money doing a part time job and can then slip into your new profession with ease.
• Online courses (degrees and beyond) – Online is becoming more and more accessible for us all and so it makes sense that learning should move that way too. Online tutorials, lectures and interactive communities make learning online easy, flexible and rather fun.
• Distance learning – distance learning means that you’re sent projects, assignments and work to complete at home, are required to attended a lecture at a local institutes once or twice and you can convene with you tutor by phone or e-mail. This is ideal for anyone interested in home learning.
• Full time postgraduate studies – A continuation of your degree, check out local universities to see what they offer and the flexibility of their hours. Post Grad studies usually involve you lecturing or tutoring as well so they demand your full attention.
• Full time undergraduate studies – a classic degree which can be as varied as you like. Don’t be under the impression that uni is just for youngster and twenty something’s. You’re never too old to go and as they say – youth is wasted on the young. The same could be said for education.