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This article is about education in Birmingham, England.
Birmingham has several colleges of further education funded primarily by the Learning and Skills Council, including City College, Josiah Mason College, Cadbury College, Queen Alexandra College, Bournville College, and Birmingham Metropolitan College. Several of these also offer courses in higher education in conjunction with external colleges and universities.
In addition to the numerous institutions which offer education primarily to full-time students and to those pursuing vocational development, there are a wide number of courses aimed primarily at part-time and recreational learners. The city council's Birmingham Adult Educational Service (BAES) offers around 4000 different courses each year at around 70 different centres in diverse subjects such as foreign languages, information technology, mathematics, literacy and various types of creative arts. Some courses allow the students to achieve qualifications such as GCSEs and A-levels. BAES also provides teaching in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for the many inhabitants of the city who do not speak English as a mother-tongue.
Similar courses are offered by many of the city's further education colleges, and various arts organisations such as the mac offer workshops in the creative arts. Experienced musicians from ground roots enterprises such as Punch Records in The Custard Factory host many 'Urban Workshops' for modern music including street-level DJ mixing tuition and dance.
The city council is also responsible for the provision of libraries throughout the city. There are 41 local libraries in addition to Birmingham Central Library, reputedly one of the largest public libraries in Europe. According to city council figures, Birmingham's library system has over 2.7 million books and receives over 4 million visitors each year.
Birmingham School of Art, now part of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
