Fresh graduated from their Berkley location. It was truly an amazing experience. I got to learn all…read moremy hands on and textbook skills in an engaging environment, with an amazing teacher who ensured you knew what you were doing. All the instructors I interacted with took pride in being good at what they did and making sure you were not only able to perform the skills but also be confident in doing so. Both me and my sister graduated from this program and both of us very highly recommended. I feel ready for my NREMT and know I can come to them for help as I move forward in my career. If you are hesitant at all about entering the medical field and or not sure what to do after, they are willing and able to guide you through the steps. As well as talk to you about what kinds of doors that programs like this can open for you.

From the owner: American Health Education is dedicated to providing high-quality, hands-on training to those who…read morewish to start or advance their healthcare careers. Train to become and EMT with our weekday or weekend courses in emergency medical services. We are committed to preparing our students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to excel in their field, and are proud to foster graduates who go on to save lives and serve in their communities.

I have taken two classes, both with Ruby: organic gardening and bare root fruit tree orchards. On…read moreboth instances I walked away with a better understanding of the overall concepts and a few good pages of notes. Very comfortable and conversational learning environment. Very helpful, and great to have such a locally sourced program for learning these types of things.

I cannot recommend the Institute of Urban Homesteading's Cheese Making Intensive enough…read more This day and a half "intensive" is a combination of the cheese making 1, 2 and 3 classes, taught by IUH founder Ruby. It's fast-paced and she throws a lot of information at you, but the whole process is warm, interactive and accessible. I immediately felt like I could leave Ruby's home and make these cheeses (and other dairy products!) we had learned in my own. I especially love that she's found what seems like the perfect middle ground between science lesson and home-cook/homesteader understanding. She brings her personal experience in with just enough of the science and technical understanding to make home cheese making incredible accessible and attainable. I also love that IUH also has a sliding scale for fees because it demonstrates the value they put on what they teach in making these classes more widely accessible. I already have the summer farm tours on my calendar, and I can't wait to take my next class.

I took a beginning serger class here and learned so much in only two hours! I feel a lot more…read moreconfident about choosing a serger and threading it when my project callls for finally getting one. Eli was great and it was a great intro to their lovely studio as well. Maybe I'll schedule machine time there instead of buying a serger? Still to be determined! Thanks Eli!

I have been wanting to learn to sew with a sewing machine and this was a great experience! The…read moreinstructors are helpful and knowledgeable! I felt confident that after the class I could pick up my projects at home and get started! I'll definitely come back for more classes!

Mikee has generally enjoyed her lessons at School of Rock, which is why this experience was so…read moredisappointing. She had a scheduled lesson with her instructor, Darwin, at 5:15 PM. We arrived at 5:05 PM, and I left her there as usual. At 5:37 PM, Mikee texted me asking who was supposed to be teaching her because no one had come to get her. When I went inside to ask what was going on, I found that Darwin was teaching another student while Mikee had been sitting and waiting the entire time. What was most concerning was that no one seemed to notice that a child who had arrived on time had been waiting for over 20 minutes past her scheduled lesson. I understand that scheduling mistakes happen, but the lack of communication and oversight was frustrating. A student should not have to figure out for herself that something has gone wrong with her lesson. I hope the school takes steps to ensure this doesn't happen to other students in the future.

This place seems to be poorly run. We scheduled a lesson, organized our Saturday around it, and…read moredrove 15 min. for it. When we got there, they said they saw they had confirmed over email but it "didn't make it into their system." Rather than apologizing, the person tending the front desk shrugged and said, "Mistakes happen."

I am a visual artist and needed some help with the production of my own personal sketchbooks…read more Typically doing high end professional bookbinding, Anne, the director of and teacher at Capricornus put together a personalized curriculum designed to cover my needs. After three month of once a week training, I am holding several custom made sketchbooks in my hands. They are all hand crafted in different binding techniques. Sooo cool! Hands on! Individual! Affordable! I highly recommend.

Hands down best book binding training in the East bay at an astonishing value. She was originally…read moretrained in England in the 1950s at very good schools and she's been doing book binding and art restoration ever since.

I don't consider myself a natural artist, but after taking Introduction to Silkscreen with Emily…read morehere I feel like a spark of potential was finally lit. I thoroughly enjoyed the flexible after-work hours where I could relax and concentrate on just a few set tasks that go into making a screen and prints. The small class size felt both intimate and collaborative. I also loved how the teacher provided great materials to experiment with and Kala had all the necessary equipment. I'd love to come back and take more silkscreen later in the year!

Kala has some great art programs. One of them is Drink and Draw, a post-work evening activity that…read moreinvolves drinkin' an' drawin'. It's a rare opportunity for working folks who love art (but never get to do it) to be artistic and creative. We also hoped it would be an opportunity to meet people, relax, unwind, drink some wine, and hang out... but we discovered one fine weekday eve that it was lots of Draw but very little Drink. There are some serious art students in Berkeley! The art instructor was knowledgeable, talented and inspiring, and brought some great materials for us to use - handmade paper, high-quality ink, brushes. We did have to supply some of our own stuff, like scratch paper, pencils, erasers. She taught us new techniques and was very hands-on. A few completed projects even looked frame-worthy. Kala offers great programs if you want to do art in the evening. However, if you actually want to hang out with friends, catch up, and Drink with your Draw, you may want to go to a bar. Just sayin'...!

The Berkeley Herbal Center has been like a healing miracle gift for me. After suffering from a very…read morepainful cyst for over 8 months, and trying all sorts of remedies on my own that I read about on the Internet, I am finally feeling much better after following the Berkeley Herbal Center treatments for just 3 weeks. I am hopeful and confident that I will heal completely with some more time as I continue with the treatments. The 2 clinicians, Rose Birdsong-Stuart and Christine Holland have been incredibly helpful with their herbal knowledge, skills, and holistic approach to treatment.  They are true healers, taking the time to deeply understand the full picture of my system that was contributing to the imbalances causing the cyst. Rose delivers the herbs to me, including a special decoction that was made by founder Pam Fisher - how's that for outstanding service. I am deeply grateful for the care and guidance I've received (and also to a woman, Clarity, at Urban Remedy who recommended that I look into the Berkeley Herbal Center!).

A surprising little store next to a park and a bakery and coffee shop. Teas, organic lip balm and…read morethese cute little postcards that need to be seen in person to really appreciate.

Wonderful experience! Sheri is so experienced both as a woodcarver and as a teacher! Tread more

I started taking the introductory class a few weeks ago at Sheri's woodcarving studio, and I…read morecouldn't be happier. Sheri has created an enchanting space to learn about woodcarving and to feel part of a mini community. The drop-in structure of the courses is fantastic. The times I have been there, there have been about 3-5 other students of all ages and abilities working on their various projects. Sheri is great about walking around to provide individualized instruction and guidance, and it is also so fun to see what everyone else is working on. The shop is very well organized. Each student gets assigned a work area and a bag with their own set of high-quality tools to use in the shop. I am really enjoying working on the introductory project because you get to practice all sorts of techniques. I will definitely be continuing after I finish the first course!

I was a member in 2025 at the old location and have taken classes in 2026 at the new location. The…read morenew space and new leadership have created a place I wanted to be 24/7--people are warm and helpful, staff is easy to talk to, the space and equipment are easy to use, and the instructors all seem to be great. Mine (Jason Stern) is both an excellent human and skilled teacher. The studio regularly hosts community events (often free) for the larger public, as well as workshops for members and students. It's a kid-friendly space, and they actively look for ways to make pottery accessible through scholarahips. There are hand building tables, lots of wheels, a damp room, glazing room, separate work spaces for members and classes, lots of studio tools, and a comprehensive library. Clay (10+), studio glazes (20+), and general kilns are for cone 10 gas reduction, but there is access to electric kilns and a soda kiln. Glazes are included in studio access; clay and firing are an extra (pretty low) cost for members but partially included for students. Seriously, it has everything a beginner or serious potter could need.

I have taken classes there for 5 years, and the instructors are wonderful. Students can use the…read morestudio outside of class time. The value for your $$ is very high. This studio has an amazing offering of classes (6 week and 12 week) and workshops (2-3 days) , and the opportunity to learn all of pottery process, like making glazes and firing the kilns.

Jonathan is a great coach who is attentive to what aspects of speaking/communication you want to…read morework on. His structured methodology and content helps with latching unfamiliar concepts to tangible practices. Would recommend, even if you're only able to participate virtually.

Jonathan's coaching is by far the most effective public speaking coaching I've ever had, and I've…read morebeen through a lot over the years: Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters (3 different groups), Speaking Circles, and another private coach. Jonathan's program and coaching were dramatically more effective than any of the other training I had. I use the word "dramatically" intentionally, because that is what all the other programs miss out on, and what is really Jonathan's innovation: using theatrical training techniques for public speaking. I had barely thought of this before, but if you think about it, when you're giving a speech you are performing, and there's actually a whole world of theatrical training techniques that are tremendously useful, that most of us never hear about it, and that are almost completely ignored by all other training. I felt like I was getting lots of "insider" info. When I started with Jonathan, I told him my fear: "I'm afraid that I will go through this training and when the time comes for me to give my first big speech I will be right back where I am now and panic and freeze up." He said he often gets that comment. But here's what he said that was really important: "By the time you get to the speech you will know so much more about speaking you just simply will not be as nervous - because you will know what you are doing." After going through three months of coaching, culminating in my speech, I can testify he hit the nail on the head. In those three months I saw my anxiety consistently go down, including on the day of the speech. I actually knew what I was doing for the first time standing in front of an audience - I actually wanted to do it so I could try all my new skills and get my message across in the way I had always hoped.