Skills for life and work
We offer a range of courses for you to develop your skills and knowledge for both life and work. You can enjoy a course starting from beginners’ level all the way to advanced level. Build your confidence in reading, writing, mathematics, and digital skills on a short or long course. Our supportive tutors will help you gain the skills and qualifications to achieve your ambitions.
Most of our courses are FREE if you are on a low income or claiming benefits.
How do I apply?
Step 1: Book an appointment for an assessment at our campus so we can offer you the right course.
Step 2: We will mark your assessment in 7 working days and email you with the courses we can offer.
Step 3: Then complete your enrolment by either calling or visiting the college enrolment team.
How to book an appointment for an assessment?
Call 02045820423 or email universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk
Where will the assessment take place?
Initial assessments take place at our City Lit Campus Keeley Street London, WC2B 4BA on the M floor student learning centre.
- ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 2 (Speaking and Listening)
Course start date: Tue 13 Jan 2026Location on this date: Blended (learn both online and in-person)
This is the Speaking and Listening unit of the ESOL course to give you confidence in communicating straightforward and detailed information, ideas and opinions clearly, adapting speech and content to take account of the listener(s), medium, purpose and situation. You will improve your fluently and accuracy in extended and varying conversations, responding and contributing on a range of topics. You will also build your vocabulary by learning more sophisticated words for formal settings. You will have the opportunity to hear a variety of accents and varieties of English and be able to apply speaking skills in face to face and telephone situations. Speaking about interesting everyday topics you will practise a wide range of sentence structure and tenses and improve your pronunciation including stress, rhythm and intonation to convey meaning.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £529.00 Senior fee £423.00 Concession £265.00 - Grammar in practice: upper intermediate (level 1-2) Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Unsure when to use present perfect or past perfect? Is reported speech still causing you problems? Do you need to practise your conditionals? Join this course and put your grammar into practice in speaking, writing, reading and listening. Gain confidence in using grammar effectively through high level and engaging tasks
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00 - English for professionals: C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English: Proficiency, CPE ) Course start date: Thu 22 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Online
Are you a professional wanting to refine your English? Are you on a post-graduate course or completing a PhD and need some help to communicate at this level? Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) qualification shows the world that you have reached an exceptional level of English. It the ultimate proof that you can communicate with the fluency and sophistication of a highly competent English speaker and that you have the level of English required to work or study at a top level. This course will develop your language skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening and provide you with the preparation needed to pass the exam.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for a face-to-face assessment or click the Start Assessment button on this page. Log on with your email address (not name).
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £299.00 Concession £299.00 - Communication skills for life and work (entry 3 - level 1)Course start date: Sat 26 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Are you quite confident about your everyday English? Can you go shopping, talk about simple subjects, and write a letter or email? But do you make quite a lot of mistakes? Is it difficult to speak, read or write about more complicated topics? This pre-intermediate course will help you practise your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills so you can understand people better; talk about most daily topics with more than one person; read and understand short, straightforward texts such as emails and simple news stories; and write different sentences, learning how to effectively proofread.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £360.00 Senior fee £288.00 Concession £180.00 - English for deaf people: Word classes (entry 2 - entry 3) Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
The aim of the course is to help you to develop your language awareness and knowledge of English grammar in terms of word classes and their functions. You will learn about nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, determiners, prepositions and connectives. You will be signposted to online sources of information and practical exercises which can be used to refine and revise your knowledge throughout the course and after the course has concluded. This course has no exams.
This course is free for learners who have not achieved a GCSE grade C (4) and higher in English. For more information Click here
- English for deaf people: English tenses (entry 2 - entry 3) Course start date: Wed 30 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
This course is suitable for you if wish to improve your knowledge of English tenses. You will learn the names of the different tenses, for what situations we use them and their structure form. You will be signposted to online sources of information and practical exercises which can be used to refine and revise your knowledge throughout the course and after the course has concluded. This course has no exams.
This course is free for learners who have not achieved a GCSE grade C (4) and higher in English. For more information Click here
Full fee £0.00
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