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ADULT L EARNING
Lockdown lessons W I T H Q U A R A N T I N E P R E C I P I T A T I N G A B O OM I N O N L I N E C O U R S E S A N D C L A S S E S , O U R A R E A ’ S P R O V I D E R S A R E H E L P I N G L A T E R - I N - L I F E L E A R N E R S A C H I E V E T H E I R A M B I T I O N S , A S W E L L A S D I S C O V E R N E W S K I L L S A N D I D E A S
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nforced time at home is doing strange things to the national psyche. While many classroom-based courses remain temporarily inaccessible, adult learning hasn’t come to a grinding
halt. Quite the contrary. LinkedIn Learning data showed there’s been a boom in online learning during lockdown, with Brits investing more than 1.3 million hours – twice as much time compared with last year – in learning new skills. Before lockdown, our local colleges were reporting rising demand for courses in ceramics, ballroom dancing and bicycle maintenance, among other things. As for learning related to qualifications, counselling courses were some of the most popular. It’s possible demand will soar once more when lockdown finally comes to an end and we have access to kilns and dance partners again. In the meantime, we’re being inspired by what’s on TV and the (possibly unwelcome) insights that come with being confined to our homes for much of the day. We’re pausing e-books to take up our sewing needles (in the case of vaccine volunteers, medical ones, too), alternating box sets with sheet music, and adding dusters to shopping lists as we opt for old-fashioned skills. Music shops recorded a surge in demand for pianos, and tapestry kits are flying off the shelves. The hit TV show Bridgerton – with its mesmerising
can possibly be. These changes have also been reflected in the social media hall of fame. While fashion influencers are still wildly popular, Instagrammers whose areas of expertise include household tips, cookery and photography are also riding high, with millions of followers. In addition to enjoying their moment of box-set fame, many of these hobbies may also do wonders for our mental health. By engaging numerous areas of the brain,
and enthusiastic reimagining of the everyday lives of rich Georgian folk – has a lot to answer for. Then there is the growing realisation that, while Zoom backgrounds offer a temporary disguise, the ugly reality is that those dustballs won’t vacuum themselves. The result is an ever-growing demand for know-how and gizmos (high-tech and otherwise) to turn our homes into the best, and certainly cleanest, versions they
SPRING/SUMMER 2021
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