A new series of mostly free courses has been launched in an East Cambridgeshire town. 

The learning programme is available to residents living in and around Soham. 

The courses will be available thanks to the creation of a new hub called the East Cambridgeshire Training Centre that has been set up by the Eastern Education Group (EEG). 

Programmes will include functional skills options in English, information technology (IT), maths and leisure learning - and the courses will be taught at either The Pavillion, Soham Village College or the Viva Theatre. 

(Image: Eastern Education Group) Gill Luff, community business development co-ordinator for the East Cambridgeshire Training Centre, said: “We set up in January this year and our first mission was to find out what the community of Soham needs.

“We quickly discovered there is a real appetite for adult education to return to the town. 

“During the spring and summer, we ran a series of daytime ‘taster’ courses - funded through the government 'multiply' scheme - designed to build confidence with maths in creative ways -and these were very successful. 

“We are now ready to move forward with a full programme of courses and outreach sessions.

“Programmes starting after the autumn half term holidays at the end of October will include functional skills English and maths. 

“We will also be offering essential digital skills for those who struggle with IT.

“In addition to this, we will offer ESOL (English For Speakers of Other Languages) classes, as well as soft-skills courses and leisure learning. 

In terms of the Eastern Education Group coming to Soham, Gill added: “The EEG has a track record of supporting Cambridgeshire residents thanks to the creation of a similar centre in North Cambridgeshire.”

The training centre is also keen to work with the local business community. 

Gill added: “In addition to training options, we want to engage with local companies and run a business forum here.

“There are lots of home-workers, sole-traders, start-ups and creative companies in and around Soham and we hope to create a place where they can all meet up to learn, share new ideas and network.”