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.
- City Lit gift vouchers - the perfect giftLooking for that perfect present? Treat someone to the gift of learning with a course at City Lit. Available from £10, our gift vouchers can be used to book a place on any of our courses, from London walks and food tasting to museum visits, poetry and much more. Simply purchase your voucher and the recipient can choose from thousands of courses, at a time which suits them.Full fee £10.00
- Getting Ready for Maths functional skills level 2Course start date: Fri 9 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
You will learn techniques to understand the non-calculator section of the functional skills Level 2 Maths syllabus. You will develop your mathematical skills and knowledge to work with numbers including fractions, percentages, ratio and to work out area and perimeter. This non-accredited course (no exam) will give you the opportunity demonstrate a sound grasp of the underpinning skills and basics of maths appropriate to level 2, and to apply mathematical thinking to solve simple problems in familiar situations. By the end of the course, you will have an inhouse written assessment which will allow your tutor to progress you to the accredited course, where you can get your Functional Skills level 2 Maths qualification.Full fee £0.00 - ESOL and making podcasts: pronunciation, presentation, expression (level 1-2)Course start date: Sun 11 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your pronunciation, learn more about how you sound when you speak English and develop your speaking? A podcast is a digital recording, which can be used in a very practical way to help develop your English. On this course, you will discover how to make and edit a podcast to record yourself as well as what to say and how to say it. You will be able to practise speaking on your own and interviewing others as well as learn how to prepare what to say and how to say it. Podcasting is a fantastic way of improving your pronunciation, your vocabulary, your spoken accuracy, and your fluency.
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).
Please note you will need to download the free Audacity software and have a headset with mic to do this course.
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 £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Gateway to English Language GCSECourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you excited by the English language? Do you need to test your abilities before attempting the qualification course? Do you want to give yourself more than a year to achieve the qualification? Then this Preparing for English Language GCSE is the course for you. It will get your ready you for the accreditation and familiarise you with its content, level and expectation.
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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £105.00 - Workplace communication skills: how to get a better job (ESOL entry 3-level 1)Course start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Are you looking for a new or better job? Do you feel nervous in interviews? Would you like to learn the English you need to impress an employer? This course will help you with the language you need to do well in interviews, to feel calm and relaxed. You will work on predicting the types of questions an employer will ask you and you will practise answering them. You will work on your pronunciation including stress and you will role play different situations that take place in an interview.
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 £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £25.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -Entry 3 (Writing)Course start date: Mon 19 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This is the Writing unit of the ESOL course to give you confidence in writing sentences for emails and letters clearly. You will learn how write formal or informal topics using the right grammar and vocabulary. You will focus on planning and organising writing into paragraphs and writing clear introductions and conclusion.
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 £129.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 1 (Writing)Course start date: Mon 19 May 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This is the Writing unit of the ESOL course to give you confidence in writing a range of sentences for personal writing, and formal and informal texts. You will focus on using correct grammar (such as subject-verb agreement, correct use of tense) and become aware of the distinct differences between spoken and written English. You will focus on notetaking, planning and organising writing into paragraphs, developing a narrative and ending writing with a summary or conclusion.
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 £129.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 2 (Writing)Course start date: Tue 20 May 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This is the Writing unit of the ESOL course to give you confidence in writing and producing text independently for personal and academic writing, and for formal and informal texts. You will be taught how to generate creative and critical ideas using correct grammar, appropriate tenses, key linguistic features such as discourse markers, clauses, paragraphs, and you will become aware of the standard written features of English. You will focus on proof-reading, self-correction strategies and structuring your writing with correct conventions. You will also be taught how to organise, structure and extend your writing for academic, fiction, non-fiction and more complex text types or genres to suit purpose and audience.
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 £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £65.00 - Gateway to maths GCSECourse start date: Tue 27 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to gain a Maths GCSE but are not ready yet to achieve this in a single year? Do you need to test your abilities before attempting the qualification course? Then this Preparing for Maths GCSE is the course for you. It will prepare you for the accreditation and familiarise you with its content, level and expectation. You will need to complete and pass an initial assessment before starting this course to demonstrate at least a Level 1 Functional Skills level of Maths.
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 £209.00 Senior fee £167.00 Concession £105.00 - Learn English - discover London, its history, culture and people (level 1-level 2)Course start date: Mon 7 Jul 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your English and learn about London, its history, culture and people at the same time? On this course, you will visit places of interest and learn about the history of these places especially about the different people and cultures who have lived there, and about important events which have shaped the city. You will do your own research and so improve your reading and writing skills as well as your speaking and listening. In addition, you will feel more at home in London and able to participate in its rich and diverse life.
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 £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £35.00 - Learn English - learn about London (entry 2-entry 3)Course start date: Tue 8 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you want to improve your English and learn about London at the same time? This course will help you feel more confident about living in London and using your English. You will visit interesting places and learn about the history of the city and the people who live there. You will also learn about important events in the city in the past and now. You will improve your speaking, listening, reading and writing. You will learn a lot of new words to describe people and places and how to express yourself fluently and correctly.
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).Full fee £59.00 Concession £30.00 - English pronunciation: stage 1 (intensive)Course start date: Mon 21 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David John GwillimImprove your pronunciation of standard English on this intensive course, running each day in the same week, which includes detailed study of vowel and consonant sounds. This course is for speakers of other languages who are fluent in English. Some homework required.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - English pronunciation: stage 2 (intensive)Course start date: Mon 28 Jul 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David John GwillimIdeal if you have completed 'English Pronunciation: stage 1', this intensive course develops fluency and clarity and explores diphthongs and triphthongs, inflexion and intonation, and the rhythms of standard English.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £160.00 - Getting ready for English Functional Skills (level 1)Course start date: Tue 9 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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 £129.00 - English language GCSECourse start date: Thu 11 Sep 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you excited by the English language? Do you want to engage with fiction and non-fiction? Do you need to improve your writing and critical thinking across a range of topics and themes? An English Language GCSE is an essential qualification for anyone wanting to practise higher-order reading skills and use these to develop fluent and effective writing. It is one of the most commonly required qualifications by employers and universities, and will enhance your job and education prospects. This specification will ensure that you can read fluently and write effectively, demonstrate a confident control of Standard English and write grammatically correct sentences, deploying figurative language, and analyse texts.
You need to do a pre-course assessment. Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423 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 for learners who have not achieved a GCSE grade C (4) and higher in English. For more information Click here
Full fee £599.00
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