to be shocked at the demise of adult education?

That's because languages were one of the first to be de-funded. A foreign language is not an employment skill so no funding therefore no language classes. The only funding left is for functional skills, "wellbeing" and classes that can prove they get people into jobs (any jobs).

If people want things like adult education to be available they need to write to their MPs and support adult education funding - even when it doesn't matter to them right in this moment. Instead of voting for cuts because they think it will only affect other people, and then complaining later when it starts to affect them.

Are there no F2F tutorials any more? That's sad.

Even when I studied, not everyone on the course came to the tutorials, but a quick Google implies it's 'Online' class tutorials, rather than physical meetups nowadays.

People voted for funding cuts to adult education. Funding was cut. Therefore you will struggle to find classes.

The WEA have been campaigning but campaigns require support from voters. You may find WEA courses but they have just been decimated too.

https://www.wea.org.uk/

I agree, I’m desperate for some sort of art course…evening class in watercolours or acrylics and there’s nothing.

Are these daytime classes?

YANBU
My local college used to offer loads of classes for adults. Lots of GCSEs and A-levels to choose from too. I had a friend who did A-level Psychology for fun.

Now, no A-levels, and the only GCSEs you can do are English and Maths.

Even Access courses are limited now. Years ago, there were several different ones you could do. You could do Access to IT, Access to Science... basically you could use them to do pretty much any uni course after. Now, all on offer is Access to Nursing. And the price of that has shot up. When I did it, I paid £250. Now it is a couple of grand.

I worked for a continuing education provider for many years. The problem is funding. They used to offer many lovely, low cost weekend etc courses that were only affordable because they were subsidised. When the funding dried up, so did the courses unfortunately. Some providers were able to run courses that didn’t make a profit or even made a loss, for some time, because they made money in other areas which propped up the loss making activities. But obviously that couldn’t go on for long.

Where I live there are classes in lots of practical things but they aren’t run by the council but by individual people. Unfortunately they tend to be expensive, so I am unable to justify the cost on myself.

Surely that doesn't apply in the evenings though? All the local secondaries round here are used as community hubs in the evenings, hiring out loads of their spaces

Well that's half the problem - "daytime". Working people or those with children would often find it impossible to take random half days/full days off. It's why evening classes were so popular. People could do them after work or when there was someone else (partner) to look after the children.

it is phenomenally expensive now and have to say the teaching is quite variable - it was much much better when there were face-to-face tutorials (fair to say it's taking an awfully long time to finish my degree because I remember when there were real life teaching sessions but now it all seems to be online! Art history has been a blast though).

OP, I fully agree. I know loads of people who did various Adult education courses in the 80s and 90s. It's how I did my own O levels and A levels after leaving a crap comp with nothing. Then I did a few courses purely for interest. My DH did various courses too, including some O and A levels as he had a crap comp education too. We both also did professional exams. DH also did computing, both basic and then worked up to advanced and programming/networks etc. I even ended up teaching Accounting Technician courses to adults for a few years at our local college. Our respective parents also did various "fun" courses like massage, flower arranging, etc.

All that's gone. Two of our local colleges closed down and the one remaining one only offers courses for 16-18 year olds.

It's all very depressing how we had a World leading adult education system and flushed it all down the toilet with Blair's obsession with getting 50% of young to University which sucked all the funding forcing local colleges to close down.

I'm in the same boat. WFH means I'd love to get out in the evening and I'm especially free with the youngest now at University.

Not really. These classes are no longer subsidised. There is a demand for evening classes but they can be quite expensive now.

Maybe it's my area. It is a county people typically retire to, so.....

My daytime art classes are packed!

Know your place you uneducated serf 😁

Local U3As are mainly run by people who've either been in education or bureaucratic jobs and they're in their element.
And yes I AM generalizing but that's our and other friends experiences.
Lots of very entitled elderly well off widows too!

Quite honestly even though I'm 70 and DH is 65 we found it very 'old' and a bit worthy.
But then we'd worked in universities for 30 years and were used to the buzz of younger people.

We have an excellent Adult Education Centre. So far, I've done Creative Writing and Calligraphy and I'm currently doing a Book Club course. I work 2 days a week due to ill health and it's lovely to have something just for me. I love that I can continue to learn too.

Agreee. My local college used to run lots of evening classes but not any more. I’d love to do a cookery class

Perhaps not enough people would go today.
I've attended a few things lately in the daytime and not many turned up.

Someone might have already said this but check your museum, art gallery, library, local stately home etc they might run something specialist, but I know it’s not the same. My mum talks fondly of the cooking classes she used to do with her mum and I’ve not been able to find anything like that.

I do already go to a face to face class as it happens, run by a lecturer who worked for the Uni for many years and took redundancy after they cut back massively on MFL courses; she’s now set up on her own and has a full class of adult learners.

Thank you for the OU link @Greybeardy , I’m going to do a couple of their intermediate French courses!

Education is devalued in the UK. See all the talk of going to university being a waste of money, who needs maths anyway? everything should lead to a job/a better job. The joy of learning has gone.