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 and making podcasts: pronunciation, presentation, expression (level 1-2)Course start date: Sun 10 May 2026 (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 £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £85.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -Entry 3 (Writing)Course start date: Mon 18 May 2026 (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 £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £130.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 1 (Writing)Course start date: Mon 18 May 2026 (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 £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £115.00 - ESOL - communication skills for life and work -level 2 (Writing)Course start date: Tue 19 May 2026 (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 £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £140.00 - Gateway to maths GCSECourse start date: Wed 27 May 2026 (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 - Develop your writing and language skills (level 1-level 2)Course start date: Thu 7 May 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
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 £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £95.00 - Grammar in practice: advanced (level 2+)Course start date: Wed 6 May 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
Is your grammar holding you back? Learn how to communicate more effectively by analysing, discussing and experimenting with English grammar. This course will help you realise that grammar is really about meaning: understanding better the meaning of what someone is saying and expressing yourself more meaningfully.
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). The course runs over three terms (though you may start any term, places allowing).
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 £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £85.00 - Develop your confidence in writing: grammar, punctuation, expression (level 1-2)Course start date: Tue 5 May 2026 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online
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 £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £85.00 - Communication Skills for Life and Work (ESOL Entry 3 - Level 1)Course start date: Sat 23 May 2026
Location on this date: Online
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 £169.00 - Grammar in practice: upper intermediate (level 1-2)Course start date: Fri 1 May 2026 (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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £90.00 - Communication skills: developing your writing, speaking and digital skills through creating a radio programme (ESOL level 1-2)Course start date: Thu 7 May 2026 (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 £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £90.00 - ESOL: Develop your speaking and listening skills (entry 3-level 1)Course start date: Wed 6 May 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you tired of asking people to repeat themselves? Do you nod and smile when you don't understand? Do you wish you could understand the TV better or follow phone conversations more easily? Good listening skills are essential to your English language development and students often never learn specific listening techniques. These skills will help your speaking and conversation skills. This course will help you identify the words and focus on the meaning instead of hearing a stream of meaningless sounds.. You will be able to relax when you are having conversations and enjoy films without subtitles!
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 £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £80.00
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