Courses for Adults at East Durham College

Courses for Adults at East Durham College

Our Guide for Aug 2024 – Jul 2025

Day and evening courses for adults

Full time & Part time courses

Apprenticeships

Higher education programmes

Many courses are free, subject to eligibility

Creating Outstanding Futures

Our mission is to enrich lives through transformative education and, at East Durham College, this is exactly what we do for all our students.

We are focused on helping you develop the skills you need to open up new opportunities and ensure you have a brighter future.

If you are looking for a career change, to gain further qualifications to bag that promotion and improve your earnings or maybe accredit your existing skills, then EDC has something for you.

Are you looking to move onwards and upwards in your career?

Do you want to totally retrain?

Are you looking for a new full-time job?

Do you want to get into university?

Do you want to develop new skills or just try a new hobby? Then East Durham College can help you succeed –getting you where you want to be!

How to apply, fees and concessions

Our popular courses fill up quickly, so we recommend applying as early as possible. You can apply in the following ways:

Website: www.EDC.ac.uk

By phone: 0191 518 2222

In-person:

Visit our Student Services department. Office opening time for applications:

Monday – Thursday 8.30am – 4.30pm, Friday 8.30am – 4.00pm

Fees

Your course may be free if:

You are unemployed

You claim certain benefits

You are working and earn a low wage/National Living Wage

You are looking for employment

You are a new learner

You are studying your first full Level 2 or Level 3 course

Additional funding flexibilities may also be in place when you enrol. We are also able to offer some financial assistance and help with childcare. Whether you are eligible for a fee concession will depend on which course you wish to study and your own individual circumstances and where you live.

If you live in the Tees Valley, you may still be eligible to study for free depending on your personal circumstances and the type of course you are interested in. Please contact Student Services to check.

On some courses you can pay in instalments. For selected qualifications you can apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover your course fees. If you have studied the qualification previously different fees will apply.

Open Evenings & Enrolment Events

Please check the website for up and coming events and enrolment, please scan QR code for more details.

Pictured: Natasha King, After enrolling on our Access to HE programme, Natasha King went on to study medicine at Durham University and is now working as a Junior Doctor in the North East.

Improve your English, maths & IT Skills

Our dedicated classes will help you to work in a focused manner and all students take nationally recognised qualifications, improving your confidence and boosting your CV. English (Peterlee Campus):

Tuesday, 12pm-2pm

Wednesday 6pm-8pm

Friday 1pm-3pm

Maths (Peterlee Campus):

Tues or Weds 6pm-8pm

Wednesday 1pm-3pm

Thursday 1pm-3pm

We also offer separate classes for beginners, depending on demand, where the focus will be on building confidence and working towards achievable goals.

Completely FREE if you don’t have a GCSE grade C/4

Scan to check out all the courses on offer and Apply Today!!

Access to Higher Education

Change your life with an Access to Higher Education DiplomaStep up to a degree for FREE ‡

If you want to study at degree level but don’t have the entry requirements, why not fast track to university with an Access to HE qualification. This one-year programme, starting in September, is widely accepted by English universities and colleges to meet the entry requirement onto their degree programmes. We’ve even had successful Access to HE students progress onto study medicine and dentistry in recent years. We offer a range of exciting pathways including the likes of Nursing & Midwifery, Science, Teaching and Radiography. Courses are two nights a week (6pm-9pm), with a daytime option for Nursing & Midwifery too.

Scan for more info on our Access to HE courses

‡If you are aged 19-23 and this is your first full Level 3 course then the diploma is FREE! If you are aged 24 or over on the start date of the course, you will have to pay fees, but you will be able to apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to cover these costs. This is easy to apply for and the repayments only start when you are earning over £25,000. Better still, if you progress to university and successfully complete your degree, the loan for your Access to HE course is not repayable.

Free Distance Learning Courses

With our wide range of distance learning courses you can gain fully-accredited level 2 and level 3 qualifications in many different subjects from the comfort of your own home.

The great news is these courses are fully-funded, meaning they’re totally FREE* to any student who completes the course!

 Course can be studied online.  Course can be studied via paper-based workbook(s).

Note: All qualifications are Level 2 Certificate unless otherwise stated

Adverse Childhood Experiences 

Autism 

Autism (Level 3 Certificate) 

Behaviour That Challenges 

Business Administration 

Cancer Support 

Care & Management of Diabetes 

Care Planning 

Caring for Children and Young People 

Children and Young People’s Mental Health 

Climate Change and Environmental Awareness 

Common Childhood Illnesses 

Common Health Conditions 

Counselling Skills 

Customer Service 

Customer Service for Health & Social Care Settings 

Cyber Security 

Dementia Care 

Dignity and Safeguarding in Adult Health and Social Care 

Domestic Abuse 

End of Life Care 

Individuals with Learning Disabilities 

Information, Advice or Guidance 

Lean Organisation Management Techniques 

Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health Advocacy Mental Health (Level 3 Certificate) 

Mental Health in Early Years

Mental Health Problems 

Neuroscience in Early Years

Nutrition and Health 

Personal Exercise, Health and Nutrition 

Prevention and Control of Infection in Health Care Settings 

Safe Handling of Medicines 

Safeguarding and Prevent 

Specific Learning Difficulties 

Team Leading 

Work in Adult Social Care 

Working with People with Mental Health Needs 

To apply for any of these Distance Leaning Courses, please go to edc.ac.uk/study/distance-learning or scan the QR Code. For more details, please call the Distance Learning Team on 0191 518 8390 or email distancelearning@eastdurham.ac.uk

*Subject to eligibility. Distance Learning courses are FREE upon successful completion and achievement.

FREE GYM MEMBERSHIP

Worth over £300 per year

All EDC students, full time and part time, get free membership to our state-of-the-art fitness gym. This membership includes the class pass package, giving you free access to a range of fitness classes while you are a student at the College.

(T&Cs apply. Distance Learning students qualify for 4-months free membership)

The concept of apprenticeships has often been associated with young people, however, it’s time to dispel this myth and shed light on the opportunities available for adults in the North East to embark on apprenticeships.

Did you know, that from 2022 to 2023, over 75% of apprentices were over the age of 19!

There is no upper age limit for apprenticeships. They are a flexible pathway for individuals of all ages to acquire new skills and qualifications, so all ages are eligible for an apprenticeship.

Whether you’re a recent college leaver, a mid-career changer, or a retiree looking for a new challenge, there’s an apprenticeship opportunity tailored to your needs.

You’ll feel the rewards in your pocket too. You will earn a wage and have many of the same benefits as full-time members of staff, including holiday pay. The cost of the training is covered by your employer or the government, so there are no fees or the need for a student loan.

To find out more information or to apply for an Apprenticeship, please call the Apprenticeship Team on 0191 518 5508 or email apprenticeships@eastdurham.ac.uk

We offer the following Apprenticeship Standards:

g Accountancy

g Arboriculture

g Bricklaying

g Business Administration

g Carpentry & Joinery

g Customer Services

g Digital Services

g Early Years

g Engineering & Manufacturing

g Equine

g Golf Greenkeeping

g Health & Social Care

g Health Care Scientist

g Horticulture

Creating Outstanding Futures

g Human Resource Support

g LEAN Manufacturing

g Landbased Service Engineering

g Metal Fabrication

g Operations/Departmental Manager

g Science Manufacturing

g Sports Turf

g Teaching Assistant

g Team Leader / Supervisor

Scan to check out all our current Apprenticeship Vacancies

Access to Higher Education

The information in this guide is, as far as possible, accurate at the time of publication, but is subject to change for unforeseen reasons at the College’s absolute discretion. East Durham College reserves the right to amend, withdraw, cancel, alter or amalgamate any or part of the programme. All courses run subject to the enrolment of minimum numbers.

Creating Outstanding Futures