A Level 2 business admin qualification for £10, assessments from 2 November, leads STCG's adult courses at its Tooting Centre, with cake and cookery classes.
A nationally recognised business administration qualification for £10 heads a run of adult courses that South Thames Colleges Group (STCG) is putting on at its Tooting Centre, 71 Tooting High Street, SW17 0TQ. Assessment sessions for the business course start on Monday 2 November and run until 23 November.
Behind it come a Caribbean Christmas fruitcake day in December, a new year of cake baking and decorating courses, a free gardening and cooking course for adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and a vegan and vegetarian Middle Eastern cookery course in March.
The college’s Adult and Community Learning team sent the details to Wandsworth News this morning. “STCG Adult and Community Learning is offering free and heavily discounted courses for Wandsworth residents,” the college said. “Courses start from Entry Level and are suitable for complete beginners.”
The £10 business administration certificate
The college describes the Level 2 Certificate in Business Administration as “ideal for adults looking to improve their employability, update office skills, return to work, or progress into administration, reception, customer service and business support roles.”
Learners cover business communication, customer service, team working, digital office skills, managing information and what the college calls “professional workplace practices”. It is aimed, the college said, at “adults seeking employment, individuals looking to retrain and those wishing to build confidence before progressing to higher-level study.”
The course page fills in the timetable. The class itself starts on Monday 9 November, from 1pm to 3pm, for 10 weeks to 8 February 2027, at the Tooting site, and learners must attend in person once a week. It leads to an NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Business Administration plus a BTEC award, assessed by a portfolio of evidence on a pass or fail basis. Applicants need Level 1 written English and must be 19 or over.
The page adds that the course “may be free for you if you are in receipt of certain benefits or low income”, and to contact admissions about that. Anyone struggling to book an assessment is asked to email audrey.francis@stcg.ac.uk. Places are limited.
A Caribbean Christmas fruitcake, start to finish
The Christmas Caribbean Fruitcake Masterclass runs on Friday 4 December, 10am to 4pm, with an hour for lunch, and the course page lists the fee for over-19s as £50 (course code WCRX342FC). You bake it, decorate it and take it home.
The college calls the cake “one of the Caribbean’s most treasured festive traditions”. The day covers “traditional Caribbean baking methods”, fruit preparation and soaking, spicing and flavour, and decoration and presentation, with “tips from experienced tutors”. It is open to beginners and experienced bakers, and the college expects places “to fill quickly due to high seasonal demand.”
Cake baking and decorating from January
The college pitches its new year baking courses at “residents looking for a creative hobby, business opportunity or confidence-building activity”. The fees below are the over-19 fees on each course page.
- Introduction to Cake Baking, 18 January to 15 March 2027, for “beginners wishing to master sponge cakes, fillings, icings, and baking techniques”. The course page gives Mondays, 10am to 1pm, five weeks, £97.50. An earlier run starts on Tuesday 10 November.
- Cake Decorating, 26 January to 23 March 2027, in two slots: a daytime course “focusing on professional finishing techniques, piping, sugarcraft and decoration skills”, and an evening one “designed for adults who work during the day”. The course page gives Tuesdays, 10am to 1pm or 6pm to 9pm, eight weeks, £156.
- Cupcakes: Making and Decorating, 1 to 8 February 2027, to bake and decorate cupcakes “suitable for celebrations, gifts and small business ventures”. The course page gives Mondays, 6pm to 9pm, two weeks, £55.
“Whether learners want to improve skills for personal enjoyment or explore opportunities for home baking businesses, these programmes provide an ideal starting point,” the college said.
Growing Together: gardening and cooking for SEND learners
Growing Together: From Garden to Plate is a five-week course for adults with SEND, running from 23 February to 23 March 2027. Learners grow seasonal produce, pick up basic gardening skills, harvest vegetables and herbs and prepare simple healthy dishes. The college describes “a relaxed and welcoming environment where learners can develop practical life skills while enjoying the benefits of outdoor activities and healthy cooking.”
The course page gives Tuesdays, 10am to 1pm, and sets out the weeks: planting seeds, fruit smoothies, a container garden, herbs and microgreens, then vegetable soup. Learners must be 19 or over on the start date and must not have an active Education, Health and Care Plan.
The college’s release says “the programme is completely free”. The course page lists a £98 fee for over-19s and a £20 materials fee for seeds, plants, compost and ingredients, so ask how the fee applies to you when you enquire. “Families, carers and support workers are encouraged to enquire early due to limited availability,” the college said.
Vegan and vegetarian Middle Eastern cooking in March
The poster for Vegan and Vegetarian Middle Eastern Cuisine gives a start date of Monday 1 March 2027 at 6pm, course code WABX148TL. The college has not published a fee for it yet.
Learners make falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, flatbreads, stuffed vegetables and Middle Eastern salads, and the release promises a chance to meet other vegans and vegetarians. The course introduces “healthy cooking techniques, herbs, spices and traditional ingredients”, and is meant for “complete beginners and experienced home cooks alike.” Learners “will gain confidence in planning nutritious meals, reducing food waste and preparing affordable plant-based dishes the whole family can enjoy,” the college said. Early booking is advised.
What it means for you
- Out of work or retraining? The business administration certificate is £10, and may be free on certain benefits or a low income. Assessments run from 2 November to 23 November; book through the course page.
- Want a Christmas cake you made yourself? The fruitcake day is on Friday 4 December and costs £50.
- Caring for an adult with SEND? Enquire early about Growing Together, and ask about the fee.
- Venue: the college gives the venue as STCG Tooting Centre, 71 Tooting High Street. Its cookery course pages list the location as “Wandsworth”, so confirm the venue when you enrol.
For more on what is happening across the borough, see What’s On in Wandsworth.
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