Courses for adult learning
The Bedfordshire Employment and Skills Service (BESS) provides opportunities for residents in Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough to learn in the community.
Courses provide learning focused on employability and job skills to help and support residents to get into work, to support career progression or to progress to further learning.
Courses also provide learning and skills focused on supporting residents with specific needs related to health and wellbeing, mental health, confidence building or those affected by homelessness.
Workshops, courses and apprenticeships are delivered by our teams of tutors and assessors and by a range of training providers delivering courses that we fund as part of our curriculum.
Our upcoming course list shows all the workshops and courses currently available along with contact details for more information and to enrol.
Alternatively, you can contact us and we'll get in touch with advice on finding the right course in your area that meets your needs.
Courses available
We have a wide range of workshops and courses available. These include:
- employability
- job searching and applications
- interview skills
- applied work skills
- sector skills
- returning to work
- self-employment
- maths
- English
- IT
- English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)
- health and wellbeing
- mental health and wellbeing
- working in early years
- working in schools
Skills for work and life
Find out more about maths, English and employability workshops and courses.
Apprenticeships
Find out more about the apprenticeships we offer
No fees
Bedfordshire Employment and Skills Service (BESS) courses are free for eligible learners. You will be given details of eligibility when you enrol.
Learning support
Any learning support needs you have should be discussed when you are enrolling on a course, during your induction or at the first session. Training providers can, in some cases, reimburse travel or childcare costs you incur attending sessions. Your tutor will let you know about the process on how to do this.