Welcome to Pixalo Pete
I think courses are a good idea, but there are good courses and not so good ones. Much will also depend on the tutor.
You do not say if you have any grasp of the principles of photography or not, and you will need to find a course that will match your needs. The principals of composition and exposure are the same for film or digital photography, and many college courses do cater only for film, which would require you getting another (cheap) camera.
Evening and day classes will often be City & Guilds courses which will give you a qualification, but you might not want to be this formal and just gain some knowledge to make you a better photographer. In this event, you see lots of one day/weekend courses advertised in the magazines with a variety of topics, so maybe this would be a better way for you.
You can always gain knowledge here by asking questions and looking at others work too.