Getting back into learning after a break can be a daunting experience, especially if you have a family to look after.

Women's Editor Christen Pears reports on some of the projects helping women improve their skills.

SOME of us take learning for granted. We move from school to college or university and our employers update our skills by sending us on courses. But there are others who don't have such opportunities, people who haven't set foot in a classroom environment since they left school at 16.

For them, taking up learning again can be difficult, both practically and psychologically.

Women face particular barriers due to their family responsibilities. They may have children to look after or be carers for aged or ill relatives. Some may not have access to transport or lack the money to pay for a course. Many also experience a lack of confidence.

The Learning and Skills Council Tees Valley funds a number of projects which are encouraging women into learning, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Stockton Adult Education Services offers bite-size courses to new women learners. The project is open to all women but targets those who are unemployed or in low paid, part-time employment.

Chris Vipond is an outreach worker on the Championing Women's Learning project. She goes out into the community to encourage women to take up courses.

She says: "We try to reach communities that don't have a lot of access to learning opportunities. I'm doing a lot of work at Ingleby Barwick at the minute because it's quite rural and there aren't many venues."

Bannatynes is hosting Spanish classes for beginners and an introduction to computers course. One of the advantages of holding the sessions at the health club is that learners have access to the creche facilities. "Childcare can be a big problem for women and puts a lot of them off. We do try to help out where we can," explains Chris. Adult Education Services listens to what the women want and puts on courses accordingly. There is a lot of demand for beauty skills but IT and languages are also popular.

"We encourage all ladies, no matter what their age or their circumstances, because we think they all should have the opportunity to get back into learning. Some do it because they want to improve their existing skills or find a new job. Others do it because they want to get back into work and some do it just because they want to do something different," says Chris.

Kathleen Waine, 50, has just completed a 20-week floristry course at South Thornaby Community Centre, following on from a 15-week course she did earlier in the year.

She says: "I heard about it through Adult Education and I decided I would give it a go. I went straight into work from school so this is the first time I've done any learning since.

"It's been really good because I've learned so many techniques. At the moment it's just a hobby but it may lead to other things." The outreach workers play a key role both in recruiting students and supporting them throughout their courses. They act as mentors and are always on hand to offer advice.

Chris says: "We try to make it as friendly as possible but it can be daunting, especially if a woman has had a long break. We build up good relationships with them and once we've got their trust, they open up to us. Sometimes, it'll emerge that they have a basic skills problem and because they feel they can talk to us, we can help them with it."

Jackie McPike, another outreach worker, has been encouraging women to play a more active role in their local communities through the Women Making a Difference Project. Research carried out by the North-East Women's Forum has shown that the majority of women avoid local politics.

Jackie says: "A lot of women want to have a voice but they're afraid to get involved or they don't understand the system. The culture hasn't been about women getting involved but that is changing."

The Workers' Education Association (WEA) celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and has a long history of working with women, particularly to get them back into employment.

In the Tees Valley, the charity works closely with hard-to-recruit learners, often those who have had bad experiences at school or perhaps haven't attended school.

The Women's Learning Programme, which has been running since January, focuses on some of the most deprived boroughs, targeting the unemployed and lone parents, and providing courses at community venues.

The demand in Teesside has largely been for IT. The women study for level one or level two accredited courses (the equivalent of GCSE).

Thirty women have completed the programme and another 30 are due to finish in December.

Carolyn Chubb, WEA operations manager, says: "It is quite a long programme but attracts women of all ages. Level two is hard to achieve, especially if you have been out of education for a long time and we make sure we do more than deliver the course. We give a lot of support to the women and make sure they get the most out of it.

"Many of them use it as a springboard to get back into work or into work for the first time, and without this kind of opportunity, a lot of them just wouldn't have the chance."