The pursuit of knowledge and skills can be a pricey one. But outside of the astronomical UK university fees, there is plenty of free learning to be found in London. Whether you want to learn crafts, cookery, musical instruments or need more skills to pay the bills: we’ve got you covered. We’re scouring free London tech courses, meet-ups and workshops.
There are plenty of free courses online, so you can always start there—especially during these COVID-19 times. But if you want the benefit of a course tutor, peer feedback and a community, some of the following might be for you. Many host online events, so you can dive in even during lockdown.
Coding lessons in London
Women Who Code
Women Who Code is on a mission to inspire women to excel in tech careers. They teach free coding workshops along with study groups, boot camps, panel discussions and keynotes from tech industry experts.
Where: Various locations
Level: All
Open Tech School London
A volunteer-run initiative running free programming workshops and meetups, this is part of the OTS global network. These events are open to tech learners and enthusiasts of all levels and backgrounds. Learning materials are also shared to the wider network online, so you can be connected to other learners and coaches from around the world.
Where: Skills Matter | Code Node
Level: All
Clojure Bridge
Free workshop run by London Clojurians aimed at teaching the programming language Clojure to newbies. The group is beginner-friendly and suitable for people who are completely new to programming in general as well as developers new to Clojure. It’s an inclusive group, but priority is given to those who identify as women, transgender and/or non-binary. As we understand it, cis-men may register as a guest of one of these participants via their sign-up form below or volunteer.
Attendees are organised into small groups with at least one teacher and an assistant.
Where: Various locations
Level: Beginner
Tech meet-ups
LDN Hack and Tell
Hack and Tell has chapters all over the world including, NYC and Berlin. You get five minutes to show off your tools and hacks. After that, the floor is open for Q and A.
Basically, it’s a show and tell, so if you’re looking for peer feedback, this is where you’ll find it. Strictly personal projects only, so don’t turn up hoping to pitch your start-up or commercial app ideas.
Where: Various locations
Levels: Intermediate/Advanced
London Machine Learning Meetup
London Machine Learning Meetup is more about knowledge sharing, and the meeting of like-minded scientists and developers. These shared interests include Machine Learning (ML)—an application of AI based around the idea that we should really just be able to give machines access to data and let them learn for themselves and other related areas. Members meet to discuss topics like increasing human efficiency for robot supervision over pizza and beer.
Where: Various locations
Level: Not specified
General
Note: No new events had been posted for almost a year, when we checked in January, 2021. We suggest checking the Red Academy page for updates.
Red Academy Workshops
Red Academy’s longer courses are pretty pricey, but luckily they also run plenty of free workshops. Learn the basics of UI, HTML and CSS or get digital careers advice at one of their regular Digital Skills and Digital Careers workshops.
Level: Beginner-intermediate
Where: We Work Aldwych
And if you’re hungry for more, we’ll leave you with what we reckon is a pretty decent collection of London tech groups for niche interests, under-represented groups in tech and general meetups.
While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change. Post first published in July, 2018. Last updated in January, 2021.
