Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Maths

We provide free classes for people who want to improve their reading, writing, spelling, maths or digital and computer skills.

The service is aimed at adults who want to :-

• Return to education
• Brush up on reading, writing, maths and digital skills
• Up-skill or re-skill for work
• Gain confidence and work towards a recognised certificate
• Develop the English language skills needed to live, work and study in Ireland

For classes in Coolock, please contact:

Leah Skipton

Email: [email protected]

01 8487172

See our list of Coolock courses

For classes in Kilbarrack, please contact:

Breda Hayes

Email: [email protected]

086 0358417

See our list of Kilbarrack course

Digital Skills and Technology

Free Digital Skills Programmes

• • Get Smartphone Ready
  • Driver Theory Test
  • Digital Skills for Jobseekers
  • Internet Skills
  • Word Processing Skills
  • Computer Literacy
  • Digital Skills for English Language Learners
  • Digital Skills in Preparation for College
  • Word Processing, Excel and IT Skills QQI Levels 1-5

We aim to help you at whatever stage you are at.

Small class sizes: 6-8 people

Email: [email protected]

01 8487172

See our list of Coolock courses

For classes in Kilbarrack, please contact:

Sian Crowley

Email:  [email protected]

01 867 1845

See our list of Kilbarrack courses

Community Education Programme in Northeast Campus

Community Education is a form of lifelong learning which focuses specifically on adults and communities who routinely experience barriers to education and social inclusion.

It is driven by the needs of the learners and their communities and seeks to empower learners and communities to address issues of social injustice, inequality and exclusion at local and global levels.

CDETB Adult Education Services provides and facilitates Community Education using a partnership approach with local communities, groups and organisations and also through providing programmes in the City of Dublin ETB Adult Education Centre in Ballymun.

Who do we work with? 

Community Education is targeted at adults experiencing disadvantage and/or social exclusion. Whilst the below list is not exhaustive, examples of the community groups we work with includes:  

• Adults with low levels of formal educational achievement 
• Traveller Community
• Ethnic minorities
• People experiencing homelessness
• People with a disability
• People who have left the prison system
• People affected by addiction
• LGBTQIA+ Groups
• People experiencing mental health difficulties
• Men’s Groups
• Older People
• Parents Groups, including Young Parents, and One Parent families. 
• People affected by unemployed
• Women’s groups
• Migrant communities
• Refugees, asylum seekers and those living in direct provision
• Community development groups

If you wish to find out more about partnering with City of Dublin ETB to provide Community Education please contact:

Yvonne McCarthy, Community Education Facilitator.

Mobile/Text: 0860664746        

Email:  [email protected]

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/adulteducationservice/

Courses in Ballymun Adult Education Service – link to list

Course with Community Education Partners – link to list

For information about our courses and workshops, contact our Community Education Team.

Email: [email protected]

01 862 3828

See our list of Community Education courses

English Language Classes

The City of Dublin ETB Adult Education Service provides English (ESOL) language programmes for people who have come to live in Ireland, including asylum seekers and refugees, EU and non EU economic migrants.

Classes focuses on building the communication skills. We use cross-cultural approaches that recognise a learner’s other languages/cultures.

We offer courses which have accreditation and more informal courses without accreditation.

Our accredited courses are at QQI Levels 2, 3and 4.

We provide free, flexible, part-time classes at levels:

• Beginner
• Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate
• Business English
• Skills for Work Programme
• English language and literacy

We prioritise learners who:

• are getting a social welfare payment;
• asylum seekers and people with refugee status;
• people who have less than Leaving Cert standard of education in their country of origin.
• people who do not have literacy in their first language

English Language and Literacy

The Adult education Service provides classes in English language and literacy to learners who do not read or write well or at all in their first language. These class sizes are generally very small, between 4-6 people.

English Language Classes Online

We provide free English Language Classes online. These classes do not have accreditation.

Our ESOL coordinator Breda Hayes will meet with you to assess your level of English Language and work with you to help you find the class that best meets your needs. Please note: You will need to bring your PPS number when registering for your English language course.

For English Classes please contact Joanne McCabe

[email protected] 

Telephone: 0877707854

What does Adult Education Guidance Offer?

Adult Education Guidance helps people to make informed education, career and life choices by providing impartial and confidential Guidance Counselling and Information to adults in relation to their education, training and career options.

Our service is free of charge.

You can meet with a professional and qualified Guidance Counsellor or Guidance Information Officer in a confidential setting to discuss your education and training needs. We also provide group information and guidance to adult education classes.

Take a look at our video:

Adult Education Guidance is for adults who:

• Are uncertain about their future.
• Are considering returning to or continuing with education.
• Are having difficulty in finding or keeping suitable employment due to a lack of appropriate education qualifications.

The service is open to both students of the Adult Education Service and the general public.

Our Service is:

• Free of charge
• Impartial – showing you all the options available not just in the City of Dublin ETB.
• Friendly and supportive
• Dedicated to enabling people to realise their full potential in life

The Guidance Counsellor will help you to:

• Identify your unique strengths, experiences and potential.
• Support you to make decisions about your future education.
• Take a step by step approach to achieve your goals.
• Reach your full potential in life.

The Guidance Information Officer can:

• Provide you with all the education options available that suits your needs.
• Research your education and training options.
• Help you understand the funding supports, entry requirements and qualification levels.

To find out more contact us:

Workplace Education

The City of Dublin Education and Training Board is a leader in  workplace education.

We offer a wide range of programmes to develop skills in the areas of literacy, digital literacy and English language.

We provide both public and private companies with programmes tailored to meet the needs of employees, These programmes can be accredited by QQI if that is what the employees need. 

We work collaboratively with employers, employees, local government, unions and organisations in Dublin such as Dublin City Council, An Post, Irish Rail, Mondeleze, Boots and Arnotts.

We help organisations identify the training needs of their staff and to promote, design, deliver and evaluate workplace education courses.

Organisations may be eligible for government funding up to 100%.

Who do I contact:

City of Dublin ETB Workplace Education Co-ordinator:
Joan Devlin
Tel: (01) 862 3828
0877419805
[email protected]

Skills for Work: What our students say

 “We entered into an agreement a few years ago for the provision of the Skills for Work programme for SIPTU members at SIPTU College. 

The feedback from learners has been exceptional.  Not only have they acquired much needed skills but the achievement of those skills has also made a major contribution to their self-confidence and has encouraged further study.  Several have progressed to the Level 5 programmes at SIPTU College and elsewhere. I highly recommend this service.”

Dr Tish Gibbons, Head of  SIPTU Training College

“Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists have found the Skills for Work Programme invaluable to assisting our employees and managers with better communication and IT skills.  We initially started with a group of cleaning operatives working within a healthcare environment attending the communication skills through English course. This group of employees benefitted so much from the training that they completed further training, with a number of the staff getting their portfolio officially accredited at QQI Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework.  Following the success of this initial course, word soon spread about the benefits of the courses. We held further training for Cleaning Operatives in three other healthcare facilities in Dublin that Derrycourt provide contract cleaning.  In each location the hospital personnel noticed a significant improvement in the communication from our operatives and were delighted with the outcome.

A group of our operational managers completed a Business English with IT Skills course and found the skills and knowledge they learned hugely beneficial and put the success of the course down to the expert tuition skills of their teacher.  Other managers within the business commented without prompting the improvement in their level of verbal and written communication.

Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists would wholeheartedly recommend the Skills for Work Programme for any employer.” Anna Heather, Learning & Development Manager, Derrycourt Cleaning Specialists

I would like to thank you for the supports you arranged for me throughout the course I did in Pottery and Health Safety in the Workplace. Because of the support I got it was the first college exam I ever did. I would never have had the courage before and I received a distinction today for my work.

Christina, Adult Education Service Learner

Ballymun Adult Education Centre Courses starting in January 

• Ballymun Learner Handbook 
• January 2026 Ballymun Adult Education Centre Newsletter. Education & Training Newsletter
• Reach Fund 2026 – Reach Fund 2026 is Now Open For Applications  – City of Dublin Education and Training Board

Download the Learner Handbook here:

Ballymun Learner Handbook 2026

Click here for contact details    Tel: (01) 862 3834