For more information on courses visit www.list.co.uk
KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN
What with university places being at a premium – figures from UCAS suggest that, across the UK, more than 100,000 applicants will be denied a place this year – many would-be students are looking for alternative ways to study. One option is the Open
University. They offer academic subjects such as archaeology, sciences, and astrophysics; cultural courses including creative writing and literature studies; courses in professional development, such as accounting and financial services; and classes in information technology, such as game and web design, web applications development, and Linux. Courses range from £120 to £650, and each unit can be studied individually or taken as the first step towards a degree. The majority of its courses are taught by distance learning.
The Open University encourages its students to make the most of Individual Learning Accounts. ILAs exist to help students to pay course fees, and are divided into two categories: £200 accounts, designed to fund those attending short, non- certificated courses; or £500 accounts, for people who wish to study towards a qualification such as an HNC or SVQ. ILA- funded courses are available at the Open University, as well as a number of colleges featured in the main article, such as Jewel & Esk and North Glasgow College. For more information on ILAs, see www.ilascotland.org.uk. (Niki Boyle). ■ Open University, 08453 006 090, www.open.ac.uk.
Edinburgh
Jewel & Esk College has good introductory courses to various areas of DIY, including carpentry and joinery, furniture repairs and upholstery, electrical wiring and brickwork, as well as a range of courses covering car maintenance; all courses take place over 9-14 weeks, and cost £99. CEC’s DIY courses include woodwork (£30), upholstery (£66) and bicycle maintenance (£30). More bespoke bike maintenance classes are available from the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative, which offers foundation, women’s and intensive lessons from £25-£49. Stevenson College approaches practical skills from a 16 THE LIST 9–23 Sep 2010
more technological viewpoint: their nine-week computer maintenance course is available for £95. ■ Jewel & Esk College, 24 Milton Road East, 344 7100, info@jec.ac.uk. CEC, see Dance, Edinburgh. Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative, 8 Alvanley Terrace, Whitehouse Loan, 0845 257 0808, www.edinburghbicycle.com.
COOKERY Glasgow
There are a number of avenues in Glasgow for expanding your culinary knowledge. Glasgow Metropolitan College runs a series of classes covering Greek, Indian and Scottish cuisine, with a speciality in cake baking, pastry-making and icing sugar decoration; courses last for eight to ten weeks and cost £48-£61. Strathclyde University serves up its own menu of courses, including Healthy Cooking (£57 for six weeks) and several guides to wine appreciation, available from £12-£66. Langside College does its own wine- tasting classes, alongside Japanese, Italian and Chinese cookery (all between £60-£100). The most comprehensive food education establishment in town, though, is The Cookery School: Christmas meals, Scottish, chocolate, canapés, fish, Indian, Thai, Italian, vegetarian and more, all for £99.50. ■ Glasgow Metropolitan College, 60 North Hanover Street, 566 6222, www.glasgowmet.ac.uk. Strathclyde University, see Arts and Crafts, Glasgow. Langside College, see Dance, Glasgow. The Cookery School, Peckhams Building, 65 Glassford St, 552 5239, ww.thecookeryschool.org.
Edinburgh Cookery schools abound in Edinburgh: one of the more prestigious is Michelin-starred chef Martin Wishart’s Cook School, which runs day-long classes, covering French food, fish, oriental dishes, vegetarian and more for £140. Saturday master classes with Wishart himself cost £325. The New Town Cookery School offers curry, Mediterranean and Thai cuisine classes for an average price of £150 for a full day, while the Edinburgh School of Food & Wine places an emphasis on cooking for dinner parties, with fish, Scottish and East Asian cooking classes available for £120. The school also hosts informal food and wine evenings for £55. Finally, the Krua Thai Cookery School specialises in – what else? – Thai food, with one-on-one, full-day intensive classes available for around £200, by appointment only. ■ Martin Wishart Cook School, 14
history, as well as sciences such as geology, biology and psychology, and other areas of interest such as education, computing and astronomy. Courses tend to be either £107 or £214. Astronomy is a popular topic across the board: Langside College does a full term for £100, and Strathclyde University offers one-off evenings for £11. Strathclyde also offers other academic pursuits, such as history (including a specific course on Glasgow history), socio-political topics, genealogy and general science. ■ Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, see Arts and Crafts, Glasgow. Langside College, see Dance, Glasgow.
Edinburgh The main hub of academic endeavour in the capital is Edinburgh University, whose topics break down into several general divisions: history (Scottish, British, international and classical); literature (novels, short stories, gothic, sci-fi and Booker Prize winners); philosophy and religion (ethics, world religions, moralism); and sciences (nature, psychology). Prices range from £30 for one-day events to £120 for a term. CEC also runs a few Scottish History courses from £60, as
Bonnington Road, 555 6655, www.martin-wishart.co.uk. Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, 7 Queen Street, 226 4314, www.entcs.co.uk. Edinburgh School of Food & Wine, Newliston, 333 5001, www.esfw.com. Krua Thai Cookery School, 19 Liberton Brae, 664 3036, www.kruathai.co.uk.
ACADEMIC Glasgow
As might be expected, the University of Glasgow has an intriguing programme for the academic mind. There’s a strong historical emphasis, with classes on archaeology, Egyptology, ancient Greece and art