Learning in Residence: adult short course colleges

Reminiscence - the excitement of learning and achievement

The time I spent working at the NIAE was very enjoyable because, I suppose, it was so varied.

A most interesting field of work was with the short-term residential colleges. These were full of activity, and adding to their number every year as wartime difficulties disappeared and attractive houses, castles, and abbeys became available. It was sometimes difficult to persuade parents, wishing to attend a course in an ancient building, that they could not bring their children or dogs to romp about the grounds during lectures. After all the specialism was ‘adult’ education!

The variety of subjects too, was exciting. I remember one group building a canoe in the conservatory of a College and sailing it at the end of the week. Another College would arrange, with due warning, to lay on a course in almost any craft you could think of.

The encouragement given by NIAE was very important and many, many people must have been greatly motivated to take up some literary or craft study, music - whether vocal or instrumental - foreign languages - the list was endless - as the result of attending one of these courses.

One must mention the high calibre of many of those professionals who gave, for a very small fee, their time to this work. One must also include the publicity given to Extra-Mural and WEA groups for arranging studies in Gothic churches, Renaissance Art, Viennese music etc, in various centres in Europe, thereby bringing about many a person's first trip abroad after the war. With the many facilities available now, it is too easy to forget some of the excitement of the post-war years.