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.
- English language GCSE
Course 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 - English pronunciation: stage 1Course start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026 (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 £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £195.00 - English pronunciation: stage 3Course start date: Thu 25 Sep 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David John GwillimDesigned for students who have completed 'English Pronunciation' stages 1 and 2, and those who have near native placement. Conversation and the reading aloud of a variety of texts will help to pinpoint those pronunciation worries still to be addressed when speaking English as a non-native speaker. This course will be taught in the college.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £195.00 - 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 - 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 - ESOL, maths and digital skills - for life and work (entry 2-entry 3)Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you quite confident about your everyday English? Can you have some short conversations and read and write simple emails? Can you go shopping, talk about simple subjects, and write a letter? But do you make quite a lot mistakes? Is it difficult to speak, read or write about more complicated topics? This course will help you learn more vocabulary and grammar so you can talk, read and write about more interesting everyday things and make fewer mistakes. Your will practise your speaking, listening, reading and writing so you can understand people better, talk about most daily topics, read a simple news story, and write a long email or letter. You will also improve your maths and the English you need to do maths such as for simple calculations with money and using percentages.
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 £15.00
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