Interested parties may be able to find a local course for free that teaches local skills, such as Native American lifestyle and culture skills, or traditional woodsman skills such as tapping trees for sap. The best place to look for these courses are community centers or local cultural organizations. Some of the courses, such as Native American skills courses, may be restricted to members of a tribe, but non-tribe members may also be welcome. The courses may be day workshops or be longer expedition courses.
Sometimes a person interested in traditional skills can also gain a third-level qualification while learning the skill. For example, a prospective student of traditional building skills may be able to earn an associate's degree in these skills. He will have to take a variety of college-level courses to earn the degree, which generally takes two years. If a prospective student does not need a formal qualification and cannot allot the time necessary to completing college courses, he may be able to opt for workshops in one particular skill that last only a few days. College courses are not usually available for free. An interested party should contact his local colleges to see what they offer.
Some courses can last a weekend or longer. These courses generally cost money for accommodation, food, instructor fees and perhaps a profit for the company. A wilderness survival course, for example, covers shelter-building, fire-making, gathering and maybe even animal tracking skills. Wilderness courses mean participants have to live out in the woods or other isolated areas for the course duration. A less strenuous manner of learning traditional skills is to undertake a vacation course which lasts up to two weeks. These vacation courses can cover a wide range of skills and allow students to visit historical areas. For example, a traditional Native American skills vacation could teach hide-tanning, weaving and finding water in the desert. Prospective students for this type of course may need to travel to get to the course location. A student can find this type of vacation course from travel agents or a community group may be able to recommend one.
Traditional skills do not have to be restricted to the practical tools for basic living. A student can also choose to learn a sporty skill such as kayaking. This type of course involves going out onto the water with a group of people to experience the way people traveled hundreds of years ago and the techniques the people used. Recreational courses on traditional skills also teach the history of the activity to participants. These courses can last one day or more. Clubs of a similar recreational nature, such as kayaking clubs or shooting clubs, may be able to recommend a suitable kayaking or animal tracking course.