School might be out for summer but thoughts are now turning to autumn learning for the county’s adult learners.

The new ACL Essex course guide has landed on doormats across the county, sparking interest in the range of educational and lifestyle courses on offer.

Enrolment is now open for courses starting in September with opportunities available across Essex ranging from apprenticeships, GSCE’s, languages, creative arts and fitness classes.

ACL Essex can help residents gain qualifications, improve their CV, boost confidence and learn a new skill which can then lead to new jobs, improved career prospects or just simply time out to get creative.

People living in Essex have already sung the praises of the variety of courses.

Felicity Thomas, age 58, studied for the City and Guilds Glass Stained and Kiln Formed course with ACL Basildon.

As a mature student, Felicity’s interest in stained glass was sparked after doing a stained glass panel workshop on holiday.

The ACL class was purely to increase her knowledge and understanding of stained glass as a hobby and she describes it as “the perfect antidote to work.”

When asked what she got out of attending the course she said: “It was having the dedicated time to do something different, the process of having time out to yourself and the sense of achievement of gaining a qualification at the end of the course.”

For further information about ACL, to find out about the courses on offer or the funding opportunities to help you study, visit www.essex.gov.uk/adultlearning or call 0345 603 7635.