Nightingale Care Bursary Success Stories – Finlay Enver
Finlay Enver enrolled on the Level 2 Understanding Autism course, fully funded by the Nightingale Care Bursary. She chose to…
Read more
Qualifications and skills for employment
Don’t put your dreams on hold! We have adapted our courses to be delivered at centres online
Online Courses
#KeepLearning
Ever wanted to learn how to cook, draw, sculpt, speak a new language, or try something new?
Qualifications and skills for employment
Don’t put your dreams on hold! We have adapted our courses to be delivered at centres online
What’s on this week
#keeplearning
Our tutors will be sharing some fun activities for you and your family to get involved with at home
The Nightingale Bursary
To celebrate the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale and the 50th anniversary of Adult Social Care Services becoming part of the Local Authority, Essex County Council is proud to launch the Nightingale Bursary.
The bursary will fully fund courses for existing care employees who are not eligible or suitable for an apprenticeship and would normally have to pay towards their training. This bursary is suitable for those employees looking to gain formal accreditation to support their role or improve their skills in the Health & Social Care sector.
Latest News, Articles & Stories
Nightingale Care Bursary Success Stories- Tsai-Ling Huang
Tsai-Ling Huang enrolled on a NVQ Level 3 course fully funded through the Nightingale Care Bursary. Tsai-Ling chose to do…
NEWS RELEASE: Residents encouraged to return to the classroom this September with ACL Essex
Residents encouraged to return to the classroom this September with ACL Essex There are still places left to study a…
GCSE learner success story: Irina
Among those receiving their results yesterday, was GCSE English and maths learner Irina who achieved an impressive grade 8 in…
NEWS RELEASE: Come to ACL Essex’s Family Fun Day in Brentwood!
Come to ACL Essex’s Family Fun Day in Brentwood! Adult education provider, ACL Essex, is hosting a Family Fun Day…
Celebrating GCSE results 2023
Alongside school leavers,our learners across the county have opened their GCSE results! ACL Essex learner, Imogen, has been trying for…
5 Reasons to Study Accounting
Accounting can be a rewarding and interesting career pathway for many, with the wide variety of career options within the…
ACL Essex to open new digital hub in Colchester
Adult education provider will open the new state-of-the-art facility at its Colchester centre later this year to boost digital skills…
Come to ACL Essex’s Family Fun Day in Harlow on 23 August!
Adult education provider, ACL Essex, is hosting a Family Fun Day at ACL Harlow. ACL Harlow is hosting a Family…
Good Ofsted report for the Friary Preschool
Following the recent inspection at our Maldon Friary Preschool, we are pleased to share that we have been rated Good.…
Photography learners celebrate success
This week marks the end of a chapter for a group our learners who have completed their level 2 photography…
Have you visited our Skills Hubs?
The Skills Hubs are a place for you to undertake online courses in a facilitated environment. If you are not…
ACL Essex honours exceptional learners at awards ceremony
Adult education provider, ACL Essex, celebrated learners, staff and partners at its ceremony on 12 July, with awards ranging from…
6 Career Ideas for the Creative Non-Artists
When thinking of careers that involve being creative, are your first thoughts art-based roles? Creativity is the ability to think…
ACL Essex wins big for sustainable construction programme Retrofit
ACL Essex, part of Essex County Council (ECC), has won an award for their innovative retrofit training programme at the…
Tips & tricks for when you lack motivation
A lack of motivation can be caused by many things, such as, overwhelm, boredom, stress and a lack of achievable…
Care Sector Recruitment Campaign ongoing as free training offer announced
Fully-funded healthcare training is now available to anyone in Essex looking to enter or upskill in the care sector. It…
ACL Essex renews commitment to supporting Essex residents and businesses with new strategy
Adult education provider ACL Essex, part of Essex County Council (ECC), has launched a new strategic plan, outlining their continued…
ACL Essex offers a world of career opportunity with launch of new courses
Adult education provider ACL Essex has launched its new courses for September 2023 with a range of qualifications and training…
Benefits of Learning Accounting for Business Owners
There are many benefits to learning accounting for business owners. Find out about five of these reasons below, Increase…
#CelebratingCarers & #KeepLearning activities
What’s on this week
Over the coming weeks, our tutors will be sharing some fun activities for you and your family to get involved…
Learn how to Fake Braid
We are continuing to show our support for the incredible people who work in healthcare by sharing a new activity…
Tangram Puzzle
Today, our Woodworking tutor Mike shows you how to create a Tangram Puzzle using spare pieces of MDF. Last week…
An ode to Florence Nightingale
An ode to Florence Nightingale, on the 200th anniversary of her birth By Jack Gaydon ‘Thou was not born for…
Florence in Portraits
I wish there were more portraits of Florence Nightingale. I am surprised there are so few. I would have liked…
Photoshop: Victorian Effect
Photography tutor Barry shares this Photoshop tutorial on how to create a Victorian vintage effect on a contemporary portrait. Don’t…
Florence Nightingale & Italian Culture
Language tutor Elinor shares a brief History and interesting facts about Florence, the city that Florence Nightingale was named after.…
Fabric Rainbow Collage
Art tutor Lucy shows us how to create a beautiful rainbow collage using scraps of fabric you may have lying…
Brief History of Nightingale’s Nursing Uniform
A brief history Florence Nightingale, was born in Florence Italy, on the 12th May 1820. Florence served as a manager…
Mary Seacole
Much like Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole was hugely influential in the world of nursing. Tutor Joy shares a brief history…
Weekly Recipe – Goan Fish Curry
Goan Fish Curry This is how I was taught to make the dish in Candolim, North Goa. Fish curry is…
Art Deco Patterns
How to create your own Art Deco Inspired Flower Pattern. Imagine the roaring 1920’s, glamour, luxury, elegance, simple sleek shapes,…
Bite Size BSL 3
This week Susan will follow on from last week and talk about ‘family’ and some simple questions you might ask.…
Book Club Week 3
It’s the final instalment of this ‘ACL Book Club’. English tutor Jacquie will be answering any questions you have as…
It’s Doodle Time!
It’s doodle time! A doodle is an unfocused drawing made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied. Doodles are simple…
Digital Tips – Twitter
Delve into the world of Twitter. Sophia will give you a simple yet informative run through. You’ll be hashtagging in…
Spanish with Aida 2
It’s time to learn some Spanish with Aida! This week Aida will be teaching us how to order food and…
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Go on a photography treasure hunt on your own or with family indoors or in the garden. There are hundreds…
Dye your Hair
Want to dye your hair at home and avoid a miss-hap?! Tania will show you the best techniques to apply…
Barbering Tips
Looking to give someone a lockdown haircut? These simple steps might help! Don’t worry if you’ve picked up the scissors…
“I would 100% recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone…”
I would 100% recommend doing an apprenticeship to anyone. There are so many different courses out there to choose from and all of them give learners so many different opportunities to excel in a work place. With these opportunities and skills, joined with the knowledge of your chosen course, you are assured to be an ideal candidate for any job!
Holly from Burnham-on-Crouch
“ACL provided me with the opportunity to work around my family life…”
Hi, I’m Monika, 49. I’m originally from India and moved here 14 years ago. Whilst my kids were growing up I volunteered in schools. In order to progress to other roles I knew I needed to get GCSEs in English and maths. I have today achieved a grade 9 in my English exam which I am over the moon about. ACL provided me with the opportunity to work around my family life and I have never had such a good tutor in all my life – amazing! I had no idea that I would get the highest possible grade, I am an introvert by nature so this is just such a shock for me. I would advise anyone who is thinking about learning with ACL to do it today! I am now all ready to start my GCSE maths course this year.
Monika from Colchester
“I would advise anyone that needs a GCSE to think about ACL…”
I’m Nick, 54 and am about to start a teacher training course at Moulsham High School teaching Computer Science. I was all set to follow my dream of becoming a teacher but realised that I was lacking a GCSE pass in English. I heard about ACL and was able to enrol on the course easily. Angela, our teacher was amazing and really effective and as a result I have today received a grade 7 – hurray! I would advise anyone that needs a GCSE to think about ACL, very professional and we all worked as a team in class.
Nick from Colchester
“The skills I have learnt throughout my time on the apprenticeship with ACL has prepared me to be able to progress within my organisation…”
I started with Essex County Council in February 2019 as a Business Support Assistant in the file and data team, where I quickly settled into the team and managed to learn all the tasks very quickly. In May 2019, I spoke with my line manager about the possibility of enrolling on the ‘Business Administrator – L3’ apprenticeship. My line manager fully supported this and contacted ACL to get me enrolled. The skills I have learnt throughout my time on the apprenticeship with ACL has prepared me to be able to progress within my organisation and feel confident in doing so. I am on course to finish my Business Administrator – L3 qualification this year and I am hoping to do this with the best possible mark.
Wade from Basildon
Creative & Cultural Learning
Ever wanted to learn how to cook, draw, sculpt, speak a new language, or try something new?
Qualifications and Skills for Employment
Do you want to improve your CV, gain skills to progress in your current role, or looking for a new career?
English, Maths, Science & Digital
Whatever your reason to improve your English, Maths, Science or Digital skills, ACL can help! Our courses could be free* and support you to gain the qualifications you need…
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Learn about looking after your mental health and wellbeing, in addition to supporting your family and friends.
Family Learning
These courses offer you the opportunity to learn together to build strong relationships, develop new skills and raise aspirations for all the family.
Apprenticeships
Hundreds of courses across the county, there’s something for every learner and business.
Supported Learning
Programmes are suitable for all learners, including learners with complex needs, learners wishing to develop social and personal skills, and those wishing to gain qualifications and employment.