Whatever happened to Adult Education classes?

What a shame one of my sisters doesn't live in your area, she only does afternoon classes! You could try ringing all the teachers and asking them to consider doing an afternoon class, but many of them have to fit the classes around childcare and often have to stop when a full-time job opportunity comes up, as my village has discovered. We have had new instructors every couple of years.

Basic adult education is for who need primary grades. There are basic courses in English which includes mathematics, social studies etc. For more information you can chceck the following link:
www.hermods.se/utbildningar-och-tjanster/vuxenutbildning/

I wanted to do car maintenance but the courses are only for 16-19 year olds who want to see if like working with cars.

I want the old course where you learned about basic DIY repairs and servicing.

vampirequeen I know what you mean, we used to have evening classes for car maintenance, I think the trouble is now that cars are so advanced and have to be linked up to the computer etc but as op have said Gov cut backs.

Many years ago myself and a friend enrolled on a 12 full time "Motor Vehicle Technology" course, it was great, but it was more theory rather than manual, we all got our City and Guilds Certificate , it was a brill 12 months,,, and when the men saw all 10 of us all marching down the corridors in our blue boiler suits, steel toe capped boots (elf n safety) and carrying our tool boxes, they would all stand to one side,

I used to love evening classes especially in the Winter but there is not much left of them here- some Word Processing and a few GCS's. I think they just got too expensive once the subsidies were removed. The Open University also is priced well beyond reach now. I am hopeful that our local college which has had a massive refurbishment and a refocus is going to offer some specialised cookery courses in the autumn - they do floristry and some horticulture but that's it really. Our U3A is a joke- University of the Living Dead.

Oh, that's a bit harsh, Teetime! Our U3A has a wide age range of attendees. In a language class I go to, three are late 50s, and the rest mainly 60s, with the oldest being a very lively 80. There is a country dancing group where quite a lot of energy is required, and a walking group, where ditto. Maybe some of the other classes attract a preponderance of more elderly people, but certainly the ones I've been to don't.
WEA used to be good, but I know our London borough has reduced the classes quite savagely, as has the local authority its AE classes.

I have just got home from my evening class in the Maori language. We are in our second term. Of the 12 who started the beginners' class in February, only one has dropped out because of work and family commitments and a new one (our only man) has joined a bit late in the day (he has caught up very quickly). We pay NZ$60 (about £30) per term of ten lessons, each lesson being from 6–8.30.

We not only learn the language – although we are all still at a fairly basic level – but about Maori history and culture too. We are approaching Matariki, the Maori New Year. Next Tuesday we shall be celebrating with "shared food" – we all bring something – and the lesson will focus on the traditions and beliefs about Matariki.

I am finding this utterly fascinating and very demanding – but I am always assiduous about my homework – and have made a group of new friends. This is not a government-run course but organised by a Maori society that is committed to preserving and increasing the use of what it calls taku reo rangatira my noble language. And now I live here and this is one of New Zealand's three official languages, it is also my language, even though I am still limited to simple statements, such as the red table is there and the green chairs are here!

bella I said our U3A not yours! I don't expect yours sat round singing to nursery rhymes at the last meeting did it?

I've just looked at our local U3A. They seem to have a lot going on but I don't want to learn French, Dutch or Italian, go for group walks, play bridge or scrabble, write, read plays or any of the other (I'm sure great fun) activities they have on offer.

I want to learn how to change spark plugs or oil or air filters. I want to look into my engine and have an idea why it might not be working. I want to know how to check simple things rather than have to pay someone to do it for me.

Why should some courses only be available to 16 to 19 year olds? Could it be so that the gov can massage the youth unemployment figures by saying they're still in education?

I feel like I want to stomp my foot and throw a proper paddy

Teetime
Perhaps I'm not missing out by the fact my nearest U3A is 25 miles away

Teetime! Lord no they didn't. As I'm doing German, we do read a few fairy tales in their native language though. I'm wondering what particular class you went to? Apologies, as I shouldn't really have compared my local group with one that I don't know.

AS has been said funding for all classes was reduced and a requirement for assessment and achievement recording was made essential. My Tai Chi teacher used to do a class for the LEA. She is an excellent teacher and runs private classes in church halls all over town. She stopped working for the LEA because they wanted her to sign a piece of paper admitting that she was a failing teacher and she refused so they couldn't employ her. What had she done? Not completed the register properly at every session she sometimes just counted numbers and filled in the register at home!

People who couldn't complete their education from elementary school, can continue their education with the help of educational institutes, is called adult education. This facility is provided by <a href="http://www.hermods.se/">Hermods</a>. You can visit there.

We have a lot. I would like to do a language. My problem is that they all start in September and I go on holiday as soon as the schools go back every year. I wish they started in November and then I would do one.
U3A do a lot without the cost of local authority.

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If you don't like the variety of interest groups your U3A provides, try to start one that you do like. We don't call our groups 'classes' or 'courses' because they are all member led. We share expertise on subjects as diverse as languages, d-i-y, gardening, cake decorating, writing, photography, bridge, crosswords, geology...and - you name it! VQ, there could well be a member who knows more than a bit about your car's engine. Why not ask?

I know doing an online course is not quite the same as gathering in a group and learning and debating together but this site may satisfy some. I was going to put this information on the Education section but this seems as good a place as any. I have known about this site for a while now but only got round to using it myself in the last week. Type into the search engine www.futurelearn.com and register to access it. It is a site full of online free courses run by various Universities but you don't have to be an Einstein to participate. Very much user friendly. I am currently doing the 2 week one on 'Agincourt', mainly because I saw the RSC version of Henry V at the cinema last Wednesday and wanted to renew my knowledge of it. You can buy a certificate to say you have completed the course but there is no pressure and you don't even have to complete the course if it turns out not to be to your liking. Dip in and see what you think.
BTW if you are not aware of the excellent RSC and National Theatre/Opera/Ballet cinema showings they really are worth looking up. In a lot of places though they are so popular some cinemas have had to set up a queueing system.

The WEA is running a campaign to protect Adult Education classes www.wea.org.uk. On-line courses are very useful but they don't provide human contact and they do require a level of confidence in the student.

I'm doing a course with Southampton University online and free. ,"Agincourt 1415" Oh! I see grammer has already said it!!

Yes, Whitewave, if I had read every post I would have seen that and not gone in for repetition! Nice to know these things are available and out there.

grammer seems to have gone so yours is the only one now devore.

The best course I ever took was Upholstery. we had a very strict teacher and hammered at our chairs and the odd bits of furniture we'd brought to the class. It was a really enjoyable evening and you could see what the other students were working on. Such a class would not be possible today but I have reupholstered quite few chair seats and sofa cushions since then.

Lilygran I got that petition too as I used to attend a theatre studies course with the WEA.

I agree with you that the social contact and interaction that a course provides is very important for a lot of people. I have certainly made some really good friends from attending courses, and having other people's input on a subject is useful too.

In my area there used to be a wide choice of adult education classes but there are far fewer now. I was looking forward to doing some sort of art course - perhaps even an A level - but there is only one course on offer and it's not on a day I can do.

Talking about art classes. I used to belong to an art group there were at least 30 members I think, every so often we used to pay artists to spend a day showing us techniques, and perhaps complete a picture, it was excellent and a day of totally focusing on what we were doing forgetting everything else.

I really need to see if I can find something similar.

FutureLearn is a fantastic resource. There is a new course starting on 8 February about "Ageing". A must for everyone?