Adult learning in Kensington and Chelsea

Get the skills you need, to create the life you want

Are you aged 19 or over and ready to develop your skills and knowledge?

There are lots of courses available for you to get ahead in Kensington and Chelsea. Explore them today and make this your best year yet.

In addition to improving skills, you will develop your confidence and interests, have fun, meet new people, increase your employability and in some cases have the option to gain qualifications.

Learning takes place across our borough in a range of places and spaces. There are a variety of courses for all ages and stages.

Try something new this year, enrol today!

There are entry courses to help you improve your:

  • literacy
  • numeracy
  • English

Many of which will lead to recognised qualifications. There are also options for further development opportunities for those looking to reach the next level.

Adult learning brochure

View the 2023 Kensington and Chelsea adult learning brochure:

Adult learning service

We have a wide range of learning opportunities available for adults, some of our classes lead to qualifications in basic and vocational skills. We also offer a variety of options for people wanting to pursue creative, leisure and wellbeing paths.

Our curriculum has three main strands:

A mosaic tile picture being put together on a desk.

1. Aspiration and employment

Vocational courses leading to formal qualifications can improve your prospects of gaining work, or finding better work.

This includes qualifications, mapped progression routes, employability and courses leading to further education or employment.

There are also opportunities to learn about employment in specific sectors such as childcare, creative arts and healthcare, and about working for yourself, or setting up a business.

A large community garden with raised vegetable beds and a greenhouse.

2. Health and wellbeing

There are opportunities for you to develop skills in reading and comprehension; arts and crafts; creative writing; budgeting; spoken English; and technology, and gain vocational qualifications.

These include fitness programmes, activities for social interaction, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) for health, and well-being courses including dance, singing and gardening.

3. Participation and citizenship

Courses and activities that help you gain confidence, improve your self-development and cultivate new skills that could lead to career change.

These can include maths and literacy, family learning, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), digital skills and computing, volunteering and local history.

About us

It’s never too late to learn and there are many good reasons to develop new skills. Learning can improve your confidence and wellbeing. Having the right skills can also make it easier to get a better or higher paying job. 

We are dedicated to helping adult learners to make the step to get involved - our range of short, part time and evening courses are delivered by our great partners and can really change lives! As well as supporting your personal development, courses are a great way to meet new people in your local community.

We fund many courses that are free for the learner, or subsidised where you have some form of concession. 

There is lots of information to help you choose a course, as well as contact details of our learning providers, so you can get in touch directly. We hope that your learning journey with Kensington and Chelsea starts here!

Meet our partners

We work with a wide range of delivery partners, including local organisations and community learning providers, Morley College London, and Learning Curve Group, to deliver high quality learning opportunities for residents in venues across the borough. Get in contact with them directly below for the full range of courses available.

Clement James Centre

The Clement James Centre delivers functional skills courses, an introduction to the digital world, and employment support information.

The Clement James Centre is an award-winning charity that helps everyone in the community to achieve their potential and live fulfilled lives. They do this through a programme of education, employment and wellbeing support, delivered in a safe and compassionate space.

A group of people sat around a desk looking at a screen

 

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Friendly
  • Family
  • Fun

What attracts people to your organisation?

A safe and welcoming space. It is quite small so not too daunting, especially as we know for some that adult learning is a big step. Lots of people come to us because they’ve been referred by a friend.

Tell us a success story of someone who’s done one of your courses?

Lots of students who have done Entry 3 ICT have managed to find employment after completing the class. The feedback received was that they had really been able to use the skills they learnt in class in job interviews and the real world.

Meet the Clement James Team

Contact details

Address: 95 Sirdar Road, London W11 4EQ

Telephone: 020 7221 8810 

Email:[email protected]

Visit the Clement James Centre website for more information on learning and employment support.

Hammersmith Community Gardens Association

Growing plants, growing people, growing communities.

Hammersmith Community Gardens Association (HCGA) delivers courses focused on wellbeing including walking, cooking, gardening, nature illustration and family learning linked to horticulture.

Hammersmith Community Gardens Association is a local environmental charity with a range of projects including conservation training schemes, volunteer gardening sessions, health and wellbeing projects, and environmental education.

Promoting environmental sustainability, maximising biodiversity and encouraging wildlife is a priority.

A woman standing in a garden, surrounded by bushes, plants and flowers

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Friendly
  • Knowledgeable
  • Sustainable

What attracts people to your organisation?

We offer practical sessions focusing on using natural ingredients and our courses aim to improve learners' health and wellbeing. Learners also get to take home what they have made as a gift for themselves or others.

Which is your most popular course and why?

Pickles and Preserves. It’s probably very popular because people want to learn about how to make their own preserves. With this new interest in chemical free, healthier products, our Thyme To Get Together course where learners find out how to make their own natural beauty products experiences regular high demand.

Learner feedback

Lucy first attended our Thyme To Get Together course in 2021. She has attended five more of our courses since then and she has just completed our 'Pickles & Preserves' course. She wanted to get out in her community to meet other people and our courses have enabled her to do this. She is a retiree who lives on her own, but it seems that she now has a very active social life and she is much less isolated compared to before, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Find out how you can get back to nature with courses by HCGA

Contact details

Contact: Katie Shaw, Operations Manager

Telephone: 07890 514 050

Email:[email protected]

Visit the the HCGA website for more details.

Learning Curve Group

Learning Curve delivers a range of vocational courses including employability skills and helps individuals reach their full potential by removing barriers, supporting those who want to work through online and distance delivery.

Lots of people stand on a flight of stairs smiling

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Supportive
  • Passionate
  • Inspirational

What’s the number one reason people decide to do adult learning?

The learners we often support are working or want to get back into work, and the flexibility of our courses allows them to learn in their own time, at their own pace, normally fitting around children’s bedtimes, work patterns, and daily commitments. It gives them the freedom to upskill and develop at a rate that suits them as an individual.

What attracts people to your organisation?

Learning Curve Group is a dynamic, forward-thinking company, that lives by its ethos of ‘Transforming Lives Through Learning’. LCG offer a vast portfolio of qualifications to allow learners at any level to gain knowledge and skills to help them with career progression or for self-development. We have access to over £60m of adult skills funding from Government and boroughs like Kensington and Chelsea, which means our scale helps us move swiftly to provide what our learners need quickly.

Learner feedback

I tried alcohol rehabs, but they didn’t work for me, in the end I got myself clean and I wanted to help others to do the same.

 

I thought I had enough knowledge to help other people, but I soon realised that lived experience wasn’t enough and that I needed qualifications to help me teach. 

 

That’s where I found Learning Curve Group. Their courses gave me the qualifications I needed to help people. I learnt all about mental health and counselling and the more I discovered the more I wanted to know. Their courses kept me focused through the lockdown and have been fantastic.

And now I run my own SMART recovery course, working with people like myself to help change lives. 

 –  Steve

Watch Steve's story on YouTube

Contact details

Telephone: 01388 777 129 

Email:[email protected]

Visit the Learning Curve Group website for more details.

Morley College London

Morley College London’s Kensington and Chelsea centres offer a wide range of community learning courses including vocational courses that provide a bridge into formal qualifications courses, ESOL and English provision leading to levels 1 and 2 functional skills, returning to maths study and a wide range of creative arts provision.

Morley College London offers a wide range of courses and support services for those coming to education as adult learners. Whether you are looking for professional development, a career change, progression to university or simply want to enhance your skills by learning something new, there is a course to suit you.

There are two main centres - Chelsea Centre by the famous King’s Road, and the Kensington Centre in the heart of trendy Portobello.  
Morley College London offers a creche for students who have children aged between 18 months and 5 years old, alternatively they offer financial help with childcare for those who are eligible.

2 people walking outside of a building

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Friendly
  • Supportive
  • Inspiring

What’s the number one reason people decide to do adult learning?

The simple answer is “to help them to flourish”!  But that is also a very complex answer, as flourishing (or wellbeing) consists of multiple activities, and some of these are different for different people. We know from research that wellbeing is achieved through connecting with others, being physically active, learning new skills, acts of kindness to others, and mindfulness (these are the 5 Ways To Wellbeing) – and adult learning helps with all of these things.

What other support is available for learners attending your courses?

Morley offers a huge range of support for students on our courses. This includes financial support, where appropriate, through our bursary scheme, learner support fund, and advanced learner loan bursaries. We also offer additional learning support for students with a special educational need, and we have a team who assess students for this support. We have a wide-ranging advice and guidance service, and a wellbeing service for learners too.

Meet Morley College Chelsea's Team

Meet Morley College Kensington's Team

Learner feedback

One of our students, Debbie, grew up loving music and playing the piano. She studied Music and English at Morley College then went to Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she studied composition, and began writing scores for television and developing skills in music technology (which she still tries to keep up to date). Her recent work includes Wolfe Hall for the BBC, as well as an album celebrating the Queen’s 95th Birthday, and she was voted the most popular living composer in the Classic FM Hall of Fame in 2022.

Contact details

Chelsea Centre

Hortensia Road
London
SW10 0QS

Kensington Centre

Wornington Road
London
W10 5QQ

Telephone: 020 7450 1889

Visit the Morley College London website for course information and more details.

Nova New Opportunities

Nova New Opportunities is here to support people from diverse backgrounds to move forward with their skills, build confidence and increase their chances of gaining employment. Nova courses lead to nationally recognised qualifications that can unlock further study and job opportunities.

A group of people of people sitting on chairs in front of desks

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Kind
  • Responsive
  • Effective

Which is your most popular course and why?

English classes! English is our most popular course and communicating with others is fundamental for so many reasons.  The level depends on the needs of our learner intake - but Pre-Entry level has been popular recently and we teach ESOL up to Level 1.

What is special or unique about your organisation?

Our services are responsive to what our learners need - rather than the other way round. We also provide a wider holistic offering besides education - so regardless of the initial entry point with Nova, individuals can partake or be referred to one of our other services: pre-employment Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG); the Family Programme; Social Change dialogue events and Volunteering. Our mix of services is pretty unique!

Meet the learners at Nova

Learner feedback

We learn every week including, reading, writing, speaking and listening. The teachers are great! Learning with Nova has made me more confident about my English skills. Nova is an amazing place, they give lots of help to the students. For example, they helped me find a job. 

 

– Haiqing 

Contact details

Address: 2 Thorpe Close, W10 5XL 

Telephone: 020 8960 2488 

Email:[email protected]

Visit the Nova New Opportunities website for course and employment information.

Open Age

Open Age works across Kensington and Chelsea enabling those aged 50 and older to maintain their physical and mental fitness, an active lifestyle and develop new and stimulating interests and skills, fulfill their potential and make new friends. Open Age operates out of two venues.

A group of women sat around a table

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Lifesaver
  • Inclusive
  • Fun

What is special or unique about your organisation?

We promote a positive approach to ageing and ensure our activities are easy to join and very low cost. At each of our centres there is a space to have teas and coffees and socialise before or after a class, as well as a mini library where books can be borrowed.

Tell us a success story of someone who’s done one of your courses?

Yvonne Kazeem is in her eighties and was highly commended for Learning for Personal Progression at the Mayor of London Adult Learning Awards recently and it’s turned her life around as she’s now able to communicate easily with her family, friends and lifestyle services such as housing and her GP. Our oldest learner is a lady who was 94 years old!

Meet the Open Age Team

Learner feedback

I couldn’t do anything before because I didn’t have anyone to show me how. I came to Open Age without a device of my own. I had to be brought up to date to the 21st century but I felt that colleges and places of learning were for younger people, not me. The tutors have been so patient with me. I have now completed some courses related to digital skills. I can email the council, search for news and contact my family. I am in a much better place now.

 

- Yvonne Kazeem (85 years) 

Contact details

Second Half Centre

St Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing
Exmoor Street
London
W10 6DX

Telephone: 0208 962 5500 or 0208 962 5594 

Email:[email protected]


New Horizons

Guinness Trust Estate
Cadogan Street
London
SW3 2PF

Telephone: 020 7590 8974 

Email:[email protected]

View the Open Age website for course information.

Westway Trust

Working with the local community to enable North Kensington to thrive, their vision for sustainable wellbeing incorporates three strands:

  • Social Wellbeing
  • Environmental Wellbeing
  • Economic Wellbeing 
A group of people sitting around  a desk

Meet the Westway Team

Contact details

Address: 1 Thorpe Close, London, W10 5XL

Telephone: 020 8962 5744 

Email:[email protected] 

Visit the Westway Trust website for course information.

Writerz n Scribez

Change through art. Creativity, expression, passion. Writerz and Scribez is a not-for-profit creative arts company built on the foundation that art changes and improves life. Committed to providing high quality creative experiences supported by the aim to make arts accessible, this organisation reaches marginalised communities, promoting creativity and developing skills and talents.

A man holding a book

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Inspiring
  • Important
  • Life-changing

What is special or unique about your organisation?

The number one reason people decide to do adult learning is to rediscover a playfulness and creativity they maybe haven't had since they were children, to improve their mental wellbeing and learn something new.

We bring creative workshops directly where they are needed. By bringing our work into everyday spaces, we champion the belief that art can happen anywhere, it doesn't just have to happen in a gallery or a classroom! This increases accessibility to our workshops and reduces feelings of intimidation. We don't want anyone feeling like art is not for them.

What attracts people to your organisation?

We firmly believe that art changes lives. People love how inclusive and accessible we are, and the fact that we take poetry and art into spaces it doesn't usually exist. We are passionate about breaking down barriers to arts participation and we work hard to bring free workshops to people who may not usually have access to them. Our workshops are for everyone. We don't have a specific venue - we come to you!

Meet the Writerz n Scribez Team

Learner feedback

Before joining one of our online poetry courses for LGBTQ+ people, Ryan felt isolated and detached from his community. Coming from a family who didn't support his transgender identity, the space the course granted was essential for Ryan to feel connected to his community, reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, and enabled him to express himself through poetry. His work is due to be published in an upcoming zine.

Contact details

Email:[email protected]

Visit the Writerz n Scribez website for more details.

Kensington and Chelsea Forum

The Kensington and Chelsea Forum host mindfulness workshops for the over 50s. Learn to improve your ability to pay attention and remember, by developing skills in focusing awareness on sensory stimuli in the present moment, while ignoring intrusive thoughts and inner chatter. Please call for the latest schedule.

Three women on Yoga mats facing towards the floor pushing up on their hands so that their arms are straight.

What would your learners say about your organisation?

Thank you very much, which is a common statement made in the past number of years we have been holding the Mindfulness course.

What attracts people to your organisation?

Our staff and volunteers are a strong force in motivating interest. Our wide range of activities across the borough, focusing on issues that are of tremendous interest to older people. We highlight prevention and all our activities are linked in to make sure that older people are informed, healthy, independent and involved.

What’s the number one reason people attend this course?

To help themselves become more in control of their lives. We hold our courses in venues which are very accessible, such as museums, libraries, and community centres.

Learner feedback

Anne was very worried about taking up the course since she felt rather shy about participating. Once she became more familiar with the group she knew Mindfulness would be exactly what she needed to sort out herself and look more positively towards the future. She mentioned that the coach had been a tremendous help in giving her a clear understanding of what she needed to focus on to help her overcome her negative behaviour in dealing with past issues. Anne has become a forum member and enjoys volunteering at our events.

Contact details

Address: 155A King's Road, London SW3 5TX 

Telephone: 020 7352 1336 

Email:[email protected]

Visit the Kensington and Chelsea Forum for more details.

Portobello Business Centre

The Portobello Business Centre (PBC) team exists to work with people to start and grow businesses and Social Enterprises that thrive. They are a friendly group of people, committed to helping you enter and thrive in the business world, where budding entrepreneurs and local businesses can get business support, advice and build local contacts.

A group of people standing outside a building

What would your learners say about your organisation in three words?

  • Friendly
  • Helpful
  • Professional

What attracts people to your organisation?

Our friendly and professional team and 27 years of supporting start ups and small businesses.

What is special or unique about your organisation?

Our approachable and committed work for the community and our new venue at the refurbished Morley College North Kensington Centre for Skills.

What’s the number one reason people attend this course?

Our reputation for providing quality training. We also like to support our learners with bespoke business advice and access to experts, business events and forums.

Meet the Portobello Business Centre (PBC) team

Learner feedback

My name is Christopher Herbert, I am a 37 year old lifelong resident of North Kensington. I have always had a keen interest in business from a very young age. Whilst at University I first encountered the PBC, my advisor at the time was called Joseph. Joseph was a very nice and knowledgeable person that helped me create a business plan for my first business, a bouncy castle hire company. This business was a success and I went on to sell that business and reinvest the money into other ventures. Over the years I accessed lots of courses, training and support from the PBC, most recently I had some stellar advice from the previous CEO where she gave me the confidence and know how to start the journey into the not-for-profit sector. Immediately after that meeting I registered Fit For Life Youth as a CIC, this has been my most successful business to date in more ways than one. I feel very fortunate due to the support I have received from PBC and always champion them to anyone from Kensington and Chelsea that is thinking of starting a business.

Contact details

North Kensington Centre for Skills – Morley College
Wornington Rd
London
W10 5QQ 

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7460 5050 

Email:[email protected] 

So what next?

Contact the learning provider listed above to inquire about their full range of courses and kickstart the next phase of your self-development journey.

If you have a question, please email us at [email protected]

You can also get an appointment with our Families and Communities Employment Service (FACES) team if you need advice and guidance about your choices to ensure the path you choose is supporting you to meet your overall ambitions.

Call FACES on 07971 026 709 or [email protected] 

Last updated: 11 August 2023