Centre for Lifelong Learning, York 1.33

For more than 25 years, the University of York has been offering evening and day classes to the general public through the Centre for Lifelong Learning, bringing together like-minded adults for learning in a variety of subject areas.

Each year we offer almost 200 different courses in subject areas such as creative writing, history, archaeology, science, music, philosophy and psychology. So whether you are seeking to study whilst balancing the demands of a busy life, looking to improve your employability, have retired and wish to re-engage, or just have a general interest you wish to pursue, the Centre aims to make learning an activity for everyone.

Courses can be undertaken either for university-level credit or purely for pleasure, and offer a huge degree of flexibility, recognising that adult learners often need to balance the demands of daily life alongside their studies. In addition to evening and day classes based on campus which combine short lectures and class discussion, the Centre also offers a range of distance learning provision for those who live outside the local area which attracts both a national and global audience.

But what do the actual students themselves say? Nathan Firby has been a regular for over four years: ‘In all honesty, I signed up to do some creative writing purely on a whim, and wasn’t entirely convinced I would complete it before I started. However, the tutoring and course content had me hooked from the start and I didn’t take a break until I’d gained my full certificate. I’d never thought of poetry as being for me, but I find myself completely converted and have even enjoyed minor literary recognition with my own work.’