An introduction to the Community Learning Service (CLS)

We are part of Portsmouth City Council’s Employment, Learning and Skills service. We are fully externally funded with the main source of funding being the contribution which comes through our contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which we seek to supplement though other projects. This means that we are able to provide the majority of courses free of charge, others at heavily subsidised rates and offer reduced fees for those on means tested benefits – see our Curriculum Strategy and Fees Policy for more information.

We operate from our purpose built centre; The Learning Place, 6 Derby Road, North End, in Nelson ward and you are welcome to drop-in and see us to find out more. The centre core opening times are 9.00 – 16.30 Monday to Thursday, and to 15.45 Fridays.

Our aim is to provide high quality learning experiences for adults living and working in and around Portsmouth. All teaching staff are trained to teach adults, with appropriate additional subject specialism qualifications and are required to complete annual training / professional development.

Our primary focus is to support learners into employment and to progress to further learning.

However, we understand for some, that they might need help to support them on this journey, that they need learning that supports personal development, enabling them to get back to work, take a greater role in their community or better support their children’s learning. We therefore try to provide a responsive programme which maximises access to community learning for adults, bringing new opportunities and improving lives, whatever people’s circumstances, such as qualification based courses supporting readiness to work / employability including:

• Functional Skills English and maths from entry levels up to level 2
• Food Safety and Hygiene
• A range of other qualifications that support progression into career paths
• Community Learning programmes including:
• Digital Skills
• Family Learning and Parenting, including English and maths
• ESOL – English for Communication (non-accredited)
• Functional Skills English and maths
• Health and Wellbeing (e.g. confidence building and relaxation and wellbeing)
• Improve Your Skills (e.g. CV Writing, Job Application and Online Presence)

If you are unable to find a course you are looking for on our website do please get in touch with us. The programme is subject to change and some courses with certain eligibility requirements are not always advertised on our website. We only have a limited budget but we do look to prioritise its use to meet identified demand, so tell us what you would like to learn and why! Many of our programmes can also be delivered in a range of venues, so if you represent a community or organisation and are interested in hosting some courses, let us know that too!

In addition to the courses we deliver, a small proportion of our funding is allocated to enable quality contracted providers to be engaged, through a robust procurement process, resulting in a broader community reach.

Our current key areas for development are:

Work readiness, pre-employment skills: a series of courses to help you become work ready

Digital inclusion: continuing to offer IT provision to support those who remain digitally excluded to engage with computers and the internet with skills

Health and Wellbeing: further developing the increasingly well documented links between learning, health and wellbeing.

You can read what Ofsted thought when they last inspected us in May 2026 by clicking the link below:
https://learn.portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/Portsmouth-City-Council-Final.Ofsted report

We have recently renewed our Matrix certification providing Information, Advice and Guidance to our learners and visitors