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.
- Gateway to maths GCSECourse start date: Fri 4 Apr 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Unlock your potential with our comprehensive "Gateway to GCSE Maths" course, designed to prepare you for the Maths GCSE exam in May 2026. This course offers:
• In-Depth Lessons: Covering key topics and concepts needed for the exam.
• Interactive Practice: Engage with a variety of exercises and past paper questions to build confidence and ability.
• Expert Guidance: Learn from experienced tutors who provide clear explanations and personalized support.
• Flipped Learning: Access materials online at your own pace on Google classroom and join your tutor for live sessions on a weekly basis.
Join us and take the first step towards achieving your Maths GCSE goals with confidence and ease!
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 - 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 - 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 - Maths foundation GCSECourse start date: Mon 16 Sep 2024 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Are you excited by the language of Maths? Do you want to understand how numbers, symbols and formulas enable us to identify and solve problems as well as find patterns and structure in the world. This course will extend your analytical and problem-solving skills and help you develop logic to plan and manage activities. A Maths GCSE is one of the most commonly required qualifications by employers and universities and by achieving it you will enhance your job and education prospects. Please note the Friday classes are not every Friday, but approximately every third week.
Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423 for information and to book a pre-course assessment. You can also click the Start Assessment button on this page.
This course is free for learners who have not achieved a GCSE grade C (4) and higher in Maths. For more information Click here
Full fee £589.00 - English language for confident speakers ( Reading and Writing) Course start date: Tue 16 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
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 £199.00 - English pronunciation: stage 1Course start date: Sat 26 Apr 2025 (and 4 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David John GwillimAre you a non-native fluent speaker who wants to improve your pronunciation of English and to speak the language more clearly and confidently? Work on clear formation of vowel and consonant sounds including the English neutral vowel and the distinction between voiced and unvoiced sounds. This term the course will be taught in the college.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £181.00 - English pronunciation: stage 3Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: David John GwillimDesigned for fluent non- native students and all who have completed 'English Pronunciation' stages 1 and 2. Conversation and the reading aloud of a variety of texts will help to pinpoint those pronunciation worries still to be addressed.
This course will be taught online.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £181.00 - English pronunciation: stage 2Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David John GwillimDesigned for people who have completed ‘English Pronunciation: stage 1’ although new students with sufficient skills can join. Develop confidence and clarity, explore diphthongs and triphthongs, inflection and the rhythms of Standard English. This term the course will be taught in the college.Full fee £259.00 Senior fee £259.00 Concession £181.00 - Develop your confidence in writing: grammar, punctuation, expression (level 1-2) Course start date: Fri 2 May 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Would you like to be more confident in the way you write whether emails or reports at work or messages to friends? Do you want to work on how you form sentences, understand grammar and use punctuation so your writing is more creative? Do you want to learn how to create meaning in your writing?. This course will help you be more secure in your professional, academic or creative writing skills and help you improve some of your weak areas around forming and punctuating sentences with appropriate grammatical form. You will develop your confidence in the most essential areas of writing including different sentence structures, writing paragraphs, using punctuation effectively, using active and passive voices and proofreading.
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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £90.00 - English Functional Skills (level 1) Course start date: Wed 19 Feb 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
The purpose of this course is to prepare you for the English Functional Skills Level 1. It will support you in developing your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English for work, education and real life situations.
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 £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - English Functional Skills (Level 2) Course start date: Tue 25 Feb 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
The purpose of the Functional Skills English Level 2 qualification is to prepare learners for work, study and real life situations. Learners who achieve this qualification will demonstrate the ability to read, write, speak, listen and communicate in English. Learners will be able to apply these communication skills effectively to a range of contexts in the workplace and practical situations.
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 £139.00 Senior fee £111.00 Concession £70.00 - Workplace communication skills: how to be confident in meetings and in groups (level 1-2) Course start date: Tue 4 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Do you sometimes feel you cannot speak in meetings? Are you shy with customers? In your daily life, do you find it difficult to give your opinions? This course will give you the confidence and skills to express yourself in different situations.
Our experienced skills tutor, also a trained actor, will help you learn how to stay calm and focused. You will work on increasing your vocabulary, developing your listening skills and expressing your thoughts and opinions clearly in a positive manner.
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 - Workplace communication with digital skills: English for the office and business (intermediate level 1-level 2) Course start date: Tue 13 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you working in an office and need to improve your communication skills? Would you like to become an administrator but feel your written English is holding you back? This course will help you become a confident, flexible and successful communicator in writing, in person, on the phone and online. You will work on using the right language for written documents and for when speaking to colleagues, managers, customers, in meetings and on the phone. You will focus on different levels of formal and informal communication and how to speak and write clearly and concisely, with appropriate tone e.g. in emails and letters on a PC. You will also work on how to lay out key documents using Word, spell well and punctuate correctly. You will also start to learn about the cloud and how to use key parts of Microsoft 365. By the end of this course, you will confident you can work successfully in an office environment.
Contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 8078 0489 for information and to book a pre-course assessment. You can also click the Start Assessment button on this page.
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 Entry 2 for deaf people - part 3 Course start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
This course will help you to get confident in reading, writing and communication. You will learn to read pieces of texts, write sentences, spell correctly and use punctuation. 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 - 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
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