Remember evening classes?

[annedonnelly]

I did one in Spanish, though never completed it, Id guess they died out simply because you needed a volunteer to run the class, who got paid maybe just expenses only, and people werent interested in paying the fees anymore to do them even though they werent exactly like breaking the bank, but when youve got all of youtube for free offering the same level of tuitions, without the fear of being trapped in a classroom of complete strangers.

plus I cant imagine post GenXers are remotely on board that kind of stuff anymore anyway

No, they died out because they lost the funding they used to get from councils.

A school near where I lived kept on despite that and had a great offering, but then there was a change that meant that the school caretaker wasn't paid to stay late to lock up the buildings. At that time our pilates teacher taught three different classes on a Monday evening. She had to find another venue in a village hall. Things like kids football, scouts, etc. were also stopped from using the premises.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I did German, French, and Spanish plus car maintenance at night classes. Now I can swear in four languages when trying to fix my car.

 

[Punkawallah]

I think evening classes aren't offered as much nowadays, because more people work shift patterns.
Online learning is great for those that can't commit to set times, but, of course, the practical skill classes are harder to do online.
Then again, how many of us have learned some bike mechanics by watching YouTube!

Indeed, and thanks go to JR the Bike Guy.

The Workers Education Association still puts courses on. Not sure if they are ‘evening classes’, though.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I did A-level human biology at evening class, because my college couldn't fit the course into their normal timetable. There were 3 of us from 6th form, plus 5 mature students doing it. The entire class failed! So they ran it again the next year, this time in school hours, most of the same class attended, and yet again the whole class failed. Bear in mind this was doing a notoriously difficult A-level in 1 academic year rather than 2.

 

[All uphill]

Don't forget U3A.

University of the Third Age.

I'm doing Creative Writing and Philosophy currently. It's brilliant.

Duolingo is good for languages. I am trying to get basic French, and use it to brush up my Dutch

 

[postman]

I did German, French, and Spanish plus car maintenance at night classes. Now I can swear in four languages when trying to fix my car.

I am having that one,i like it.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Don't forget U3A.

University of the Third Age.
...

Also don't forget Future Learn https://www.futurelearn.com. Free, online. I've done quite a few. Some courses are fairly basic, others really advanced and fascinating.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

I did a cpouple of Council run Spanish evening classes.

On the course were a few people from the Job Centre - they were sent on the course for free to "improve their employment prospects". They didn't want to be there and were somewhat "disruptive".

I suspect for some subjects online often free options have taken over from evening classes eg languages with eg Duolingo or Babbel, etc..

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Evening courses can be anything from leisure amusement to life-changing enhancement. Find the course whose teacher appreciates your objectives and steers you towards them. Thanks to evening classes, I passed O Level Metalwork whilst at a Grammar School which generally distained practical skills; and post school, I did a year's German and then went on to live and work in Germany for more than two years. Courses are always worth considering.

 

[Electric_Andy]

What with the rise of home working (for some) since C-19, a fair few of my colleagues are now doing OU courses. Two are doing apprenticeships in business management, and another is doing an MSc in something (I think to do with management). Ironically, one of the people doing an apprenticeship in management has currently been one of our managers for over a year. They certainly need to do the course, and it shows

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Last evening class I attended was a 10 week bicycle maintenance course at a sixth form college in Eccles. Seemed like something worthwhile to do over winter.

Week one was effectively to strip the bike down, even spokes, bearings etc being removed. The next 9 weeks we’re understanding what each part did and putting it all back together. I learned a lot from that.

 

[numbnuts]

When I was an apprentice, my tech day was from 9 am to 9pm
it was a bloody long day.

 

[presta]

Never mind evening classes, our college has gone, my doctors surgery stands on the site now. According to this site there's only one evening class in the whole county.

I once did a Cibachrome printing, and I also made a steam engine.

On the course were a few people from the Job Centre - they were sent on the course for free to "improve their employment prospects". They didn't want to be there and were somewhat "disruptive".

Our Latin class at school was like that, one kid who wanted to be a lawyer, one who wanted to be a doctor, and another 28 who chose German. Mr Garlick gave up, and read Greek mythology to us instead.

 

[Profpointy]

I've done a few.

"model engineering" which was rather than teaching per se was essentially the use of a machine shop at a technical college. The guy would explain how to do whatever job for the project you had. Though I got a lot out of it and subsequently bought a lathe of my own, but it was hard to complete stuff in class because setting up each job took time, and you might not be able to complete the whole machining cycle before home time. At home you could leave it set up. Sadly didn't have anywhere to keep the lathe following a domestic break up ... but moving somewhere soon where I can get another !

French evening classes. Hated French at school and wasn't very good at it but did scrape by with a C for O level, but loved visiting France so wanted to improve, which I did. Sadly the regime at the college changed and they'd only do courses leading to a qualification. I already had an O level and A level would have been way beyond me, and in any case I was interested in speaking and reading it, not getting all the verbs and accents right so I had to give it up.

Did a basic City and Guilds MIG welding evening class recently, and followed it up with a commercially run weekend welding session playing with TIG and stick welding as well as more MIG. I didn't master TIG in two days but made enough progress to feel I'd get there with a bit of practice. Will likely buy a TIG machine as well as the lathe when we move.

I had contemplated doing a university course: astro- or maybe particle-physics, but realistically not got the brainpower or frankly time for 3 year full time, or OU equivalent.

 

[presta]

"model engineering" which was rather than teaching per se was essentially the use of a machine shop at a technical college. The guy would explain how to do whatever job for the project you had. Though I got a lot out of it and subsequently bought a lathe of my own, but it was hard to complete stuff in class because setting up each job took time, and you might not be able to complete the whole machining cycle before home time. At home you could leave it set up. Sadly didn't have anywhere to keep the lathe following a domestic break up ... but moving somewhere soon where I can get another !

I toyed with getting a lathe, but decided it was a hobby best saved for when I was too old to walk and cycle. Then as it turned out, my eyesight started to deteriorate sooner than my legs...