Upskilling with Online Courses
If you’re looking to learn a new work skill, advance your career or just study something for interest, these are some platforms offering a variety of free online courses.
Another year is wrapping up and for many kaimahi | workers, it has been tough. You may have experienced a period of upheaval and uncertainty in the workplace, perhaps been made redundant or possibly recently completed studies and are looking to join the workforce and finding it difficult.
If you are experiencing some downtime away from the workforce for whatever reason or looking to perhaps change career paths in the new year, now is the time to consider your skill set and if possible, set about learning some new things.
In this blog we highlight some of the online courses available to those seeking to upskill themselves, many of which are free and require nothing more than an investment of time and commitment.
LinkedIn Learning is available for free through your Wellington City Libraries membership.
LinkedIn Learning is an educational site with video courses to help you develop your business, creative, and technology skills. Niche Academy on the library website will give you an overview of how to get started with LinkedIn Learning.
Over 12,000 courses are on offer. You can either use the search function to see what's available in your area of interest or by clicking on the Content button on the left hand side you're given a broad menu divided into Business, Technology or Creative. Those groupings are then broken into smaller topics. There's something for everyone, from business finance to banjo playing.
Founded by Harvard University and MIT, edX hosts over 4,000 courses, many of which are free. All courses are from international tertiary educational providers.
Offerings are across all topics with a strong business and technical offering and range from introductory level courses to advanced qualifications. However if you require a completion certificate or take a course with graded assignments, these will require payment.
This American-based education provider partners with over 300 organizations and provides more than 7,000 courses, Professional Certificates, and degrees.
Participants are invited to "Explore free courses across various topics that provide foundational skills in areas like programming, data analysis, and digital marketing. Increase your knowledge or enhance your skills without any financial commitment".
While the majority of content is freely available, higher level and certificates require payment.
FutureLearn is a British online education platform partnering with over 200 education providers in the UK and internationally, including Aotearoa. With registration you can get limited access to 1400+ short courses. More in-depth study requires a monthly or annual subscription to access professional and degree level courses.
If you want to learn something new, add to your cv and current skill set or just do a deep dive into a subject that interests you, then check these sites out. You are sure to find something to study in your own time and at your own pace.
If you need more information, please contact the Prosearch team. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.