Skills for life

Skills for Life - Free Employability & Skills Courses

Develop the skills you need to participate fully in modern life, make progress at work and express yourself with confidence.

Whether you are a cleaner or a junior manager, office or construction worker, beginner or advanced level, our courses will help you develop the most in-demand workplace skills and at same time improve your general communication, English, ESOL, Data Literacy, Maths and Digital Skills. Our courses will also improve your skills and competences for life outside work from going to the doctors and filling out forms to talking about politics and discussing art.

Inside and outside work, in all types of jobs, at all levels, adults need to be problem-solvers, analysers, decision-makers, team-players, to see the bigger picture and be detail-oriented. Join our courses, online or face-to-face, and develop these universal essentials skills with our motivating, innovative and professional tutors.

What is the best course for me?

You need to do a pre-course assessment. You can also do it online, but a face-to-face assessment is best. 

  • Online assessment - click ‘Start Assessment’ on the course page
  • Or book a face-to-face assessment - call 0204 582 0423 or contact us by email at universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk for an appointment. You can also come without an appointment.

Times:

  • Every Monday 12- 2pm
  • Every Wednesday 6-8pm
  • Every Friday 11am-1pm (23rd August – 6th October)

Our in-person digital and computer skills pre-course advice and assessment sessions are every Monday 11am-1pm. We also have advice sessions on:

04/09/2023        Mon      11am – 1pm
06/09/2023        Wed      5pm – 7pm
08/09/2023        Fri          11am – 5pm
11/09/2023        Mon      11am – 1pm
13/09/2023        Wed      5pm – 7pm

 

Most of our courses are FREE if you are on a low income or claiming benefits. You will also usually need to do a pre-course assessment. For more details contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk or click the links below.

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  1. Maths for life and work (level 1)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Do you want to prepare for Functional Skills Level 2 maths? Do you need to improve your maths to become more confident in problem-solving, analysing and making decisions at work and in your personal life? This course will help you with all of the above and make maths come alive. You will see how mathematics is everywhere and you will develop the maths you need to participate, make progress and express yourself in today's society. You will work on tasks which require you to use whole numbers and decimals, fractions and percentages and recognise the relationships between them. You will work on solving problem involving time, money and measurements, as well learn how to measure confidently and convert between units of measurement. You will be able to state properties of shapes, both 2D and 3D and be better able to interpret, discuss and comment on the graphs, charts and tables you see in newspapers, on the internet and at work.



    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).



    Free course: This is a Multiply course. Multiply is a new government programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. This course is free for Londoners aged 19 or over. For more information Click here



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00
  2. Preparing for English Language GCSE
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 22 Apr 2024

    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).
    Full fee £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00
  3. Develop your confidence in writing: sentence formation, grammar and punctuation in everyday writing (level 1-2)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 25 Apr 2024

    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 £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00
  4. English pronunciation: stage 2
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Thu 25 Apr 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David John Gwillim
    Designed 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 £219.00 Senior fee £219.00
    Rating:
    96% of 100
  5. English pronunciation: stage 1
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 26 Apr 2024 (and 3 other dates)

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  David John Gwillim
    Are 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 online.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £219.00 Senior fee £219.00
    Rating:
    97% of 100
  6. Grammar in practice: upper intermediate (level 1-2)
    Course start date:  Fri 3 May 2024

    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



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £75.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  7. Preparing for maths GCSE
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 4 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    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).



    Free course: This is a Multiply course. Multiply is a new government programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. This course is free for Londoners aged 19 or over. For more information Click here



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00
  8. Learn English - discover London, its history, culture and people (level 1-level 2)
    Course start date:  Mon 8 Jul 2024

    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
    Rating:
    87% of 100
  9. ESOL - communication skills for life and work (entry 3 reading and writing)
    Last Few Places, Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 19 Feb 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Are you quite confident in 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 so that you can understand people better, talk about most daily topics, read a simple news story and write a long email or letter. There will be reading and writing exams.



    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 £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £140.00
  10. ESOL - communication skills for life and work (level 1 reading and writing)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Mon 19 Feb 2024 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Are you now a confident speaker and writer of English? Can you communicate quite easily in your daily life, understand people around you and read and write about everyday subjects? This intermediate course will help you speak, read and write about more complicated topics with greater accuracy. You will learn how to make a presentation, write formally and informally, and read about more challenging and interesting subjects. There will be reading and writing exams in July.



    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 £349.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £175.00
  11. Maths skills for life and work - getting ready for functional skills (pathway 1)
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 20 Feb 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Do you need to improve your everyday maths so you become more confident when making calculations with money, interpreting figures, charts and graphs in newspapers or measuring rooms? Do you want to achieve a functional skills qualification but are not yet ready? This course will help you with the essential maths you need to participate fully in society, make progress at work and solve everyday problems. You will work on tasks commonly completed inside and outside the workplace, which require the use of whole numbers, decimals and fractions as well as solving problems involving time, money and measurement. You will discover the properties of 2D and 3D shapes, how to read, interpret and comment on information in tables and charts. By the end of the course, you will be much more aware of how much maths there is in everyday life and how maths can help you.



    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).



    Free course: This is a Multiply course. Multiply is a new government programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. This course is free for Londoners aged 19 or over. For more information Click here
    Full fee £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00
  12. ESOL, maths and digital skills - for life and work (entry 2-entry 3)
    Course start date:  Thu 14 Mar 2024

    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).



    Free course: This is a Multiply course. Multiply is a new government programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. This course is free for Londoners aged 19 or over. For more information Click here
    Full fee £0.00 Senior fee £0.00 Concession £0.00
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