Adult Learners at East Durham College

Part-time Courses for Adult Learners

• Flexible courses that fit around your work or life commitments – allowing you to progress at a pace that suits you while fitting around your life.
• Developing the skills needed for employment and progression.
• Most adults studying with us do so part-time, and most courses are taught in the evening.
• Studying part-time, you can expect to study 1 to 2 days per week, usually for around 3 hours in the evening (for example, a course may run from 6pm – 9pm).

Depending on the course and/or your circumstances, you may receive funding to help pay for all or some of the course costs.

If you are interested in FREE* flexible distance learning take a look at our courses here, you can enrol anytime.

*Eligibility criteria applies.

Land Based Short Courses at Houghall

• At our specialist Houghall Campus, we offer a wide range of short courses for adults – whether you’re looking to boost your professional skills or simply learn something new as a hobby. From practical land-based training to creative and leisure learning, our short courses are flexible, affordable and open to all abilities.
• You can choose from hobby and interest courses such as gardening, floral design and countryside skills, or industry-recognised training designed to support career development in land-based sectors – including chainsaw maintenance, safe use of pesticides (PA1/PA6), machinery operation and more. 

More information on land based short courses

Depending on the course and/or your circumstances, you may receive funding to help pay for all or some of the course costs.

Higher Education Courses for Adult Learners

• If you are seeking a university-level qualification or specialist professional development, our Higher Education courses provide the next stage in your journey – offering both ambition and opportunity.

Access to Higher Education Courses

• Access to Higher Education courses are part-time, taught in the evening, and give you the UCAS points you need to go on to study at university afterward.  We currently offer Access to HE courses in Humanities, Nursing & Midwifery and Science.

More information about Access to Higher Education

Flexible Learning

• Flexible learning lets you study from home or work to gain a level 2 and level 3 qualification while doing so.

Flexible learning is FREE* of charge. 

More information on flexible learning

Take a look at our courses here, you can enrol anytime.

*Eligibility criteria applies.

Functional Skills Maths & English/GCSEs

• We offer maths and English classes in both Functional Skills and GCSEs.
• The courses are available as a fast-track option where you'll complete a week of intense study, or as longer courses where you'll study at a slower pace to prepare you for an eventual exam.

More information about Functional Skills Maths and English

More information about GCSEs 

Full-time Courses for Adult Learners

• Our full-time adult courses immerse you in study, deepen your knowledge and equip you for the next step in your career or education.
• When we say full-time, we mean courses where you'll be attending college on most days of the week, so they may not be suitable for every adult. If that's the case, information on our part-time courses is further down this page.

Depending on your circumstances, you can also apply for funding to help with your course costs.